A Jedi on Treasure Planet
by Jedi of Light
Summary: A Jedi is sent to Treasure Planet to complete a mysterious mission. But when she meets Jim, she starts to question her destiny. COMPLETED. Please R&R.
1. A New Arrival

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Treasure Planet or Star Wars. I _do_ own this document and the character of Kim.

Note to Readers: Here's the story, fully completed. Enjoy! Reviews are accepted gladly. I'm always open to suggestions to improve my writing.

* * *

A New Arrival 

Captain Amelia surveyed the teenage human girl that stood in her cabin. She had lovely, soft brown hair that curled gently about her shoulders. Her green eyes had a light in them that spoke of a brave soul and discipline that was now a part of her everyday life. She wore a modest tunic and breeches that hid a strong, flexible body. The only thing odd about her was the slender, silver metal handle that hung from her belt.

The hologram of the strange man in a robe noticed her skeptical gaze, and continued his explanation. "I realize this is not an easy thing to ask, but the outcome of the future may depend on it."

The Captain rubbed her forehead. "So, let me get this straight. You expect me to take on a stranger that I know nothing about, who may be a thief, feed an extra mouth, _and_ permit her aboard with no questions asked?"

"No. I would like to assure you that she is not a thief. I would also like you to know that part of our future depends on this journey."

"Captain, I request permission to speak."

This was the first time the girl had said a word, and the Captain was taken aback by the maturity that radiated from her clear voice.

Amelia looked at her curiously as she replied. "Permission granted."

"Captain," the girl continued, "at the Jedi academy, there is something that every padawan (or student) learns, and that is the ability to move objects through the Force."

Amelia looked back at the hologram for confirmation. The man–a Jedi master, he had called himself—nodded. The girl continued.

"With Master Obi-Wan's permission, I would like to demonstrate that ability for you as proof of what we are saying."

Obi-Wan Kenobi nodded again. "Just," he paused, smiling slightly. "Don't overdo it. It would be disastrous for the presence of a Jedi to be felt before it is time."

The girl nodded, then turned her gaze to a book that rested on the Captain's desk. Reaching for the Force that she felt even in this distant galaxy, she easily lifted the book off the desk.

Captain Amelia was stunned, but she hid it well for someone who was not a Jedi. "Is there a certain page you find interesting?" the girl asked. Amelia nodded, her eyes now more like a curious kitten's.

"Page 142."

The pages turned by an unseen hand and stopped at page 142, the book still resting on thin air.

Amelia had never seen anything like it. She had never been one to believe in the supernatural, but she _had_ heard of an energy field that was part of all living and nonliving things. With this demonstration, she was halfway convinced.

The girl felt Amelia's determination waver, and lowered the book gently back onto the table. Amelia tore her gaze away from the now-ordinary book and looked back at the Jedi master in the hologram. "How am I supposed to compensate for her food and board?"

"She is strong, and will work for her food and board. You do not have to pay her anything; only permit her to come along on the trip."

"There are rough men aboard. I can't watch out for a child the entire day." Amelia mentally groaned as she remembered this.

The girl answered that. "There is no need to worry about that, Captain. I can take care of myself rather well." She smiled, hidden and curious talents briefly surfacing in her eyes.

Amelia sighed. It was a deal she couldn't refuse. Another hand on board for no pay and no supervision. "Very well. But," she glared at the girl, who met her gaze unflinchingly, "I expect you to pull your own weight here."

"I understand, Captain."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Now, my young student, you must listen closely, because after you walk out of this room, you will have only the Force to guide you. I want you to act like you did on your home planet, Earth. You have my permission to forget all etiquette for a while." The girl smiled at that. "But you must also show no sign of the Force, and no fighting techniques that would be deemed unusual."

"So if I am in a situation where I would not have known what to do before I…" she paused, and a hurt expression passed over her face. "…_Met _you, I should let myself get beaten up."

"_No_." The word was as hard as iron. "I would not forgive myself if something were to happen to you. If you get into that situation, use a simple trick to get away. But try to make it subtle, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Obi-Wan nodded. Smiling somewhat sadly, he said to his student, "May the Force be with you."

"And you, master."

He smiled once more, bowed politely to Amelia, and the hologram flickered and died. The girl felt a momentary rush of emotion. Even though Obi-Wan called her his "student", she knew that Anakin was his true padawan. She was just a girl with extraordinary powers that had been plucked off Earth and dragged into a strange universe. Obi-Wan was gone for now, leaving her alone in yet another new universe. She understood the problem, though. She was the only one with the power to do what needed to be done.

Amelia cleared her throat and stood up. "You will work as a cabin boy, or girl, in your case." The girl smiled. "Before you get started, what is your name?"

"I can't tell you my real name, but you can call me Kim in this universe."

"Very well, Kim, off to the kitchen with you. You will sleep with in a hammock with the rest of the crew, but I will tolerate no flirtations or night-time romances, is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain. And no need to worry about that either. If anyone tries anything, I will make certain they do not attempt it again." Her green eyes flashed. "Jedi may be from another galaxy, but we have a strict code of conduct and pride."

* * *

Captain Arrow led Jim and Doctor Doppler down the stairs. The latter two were fuming after their own meeting with the Captain.

"Ooh, that woman, that feline, who does she think she is talking to?"

"It's my map, and she's got me busting tables!"

Mr. Arrow seized them both roughly on the shoulders. "I'll not tolerate another cross word about our captain," he growled. "There's no finer officer in this or any other galaxy." He didn't know, however, exactly how good the people in the other galaxy were.

Jim had just met a cyborg named Silver and his pet Morph when he was introduced to his co-worker.

* * *

"Silver, Jim is under your supervision as a cabin boy. He'll be working with you."

Silver choked on his own soup. Both Jim and Silver started to protest. Mr. Arrow cut them both off with a brisk, "Captain's orders. See to it that the new cabin boy is kept busy." He turned to leave, but stopped suddenly. "Oh, and before I forget, there's another cabin boy you'll need to watch."

Mr. Arrow let out a whistle, and Jim perked up. _Another cabin boy? Maybe I'll have someone to talk to on this tub after all. _

A pair of boots came into view as someone came down. A girl appeared in the opening, hair still blowing about from the wind. Her green eyes swept around the occupants and rested on Jim.

Jim was disappointed. He'd been convinced that he'd have someone to talk to. Girls were no good. Especially ones that looked about 14 years old. But as he looked at her again, he found himself anxious to talk to her. She was different somehow. Older than her years. Intelligent, too. He could tell by the way she took everything in. As he looked directly into her eyes, something passed between them. He didn't know what. Perhaps it was a breeze, drifting down from the deck.

"You wanted me, sir?" Her voice was clear, with a hint of humor barely surfacing in it.

"Yes. Jim, this is Kim. You are to work along with Jim. Mr. Silver will supervise the two of you."

"Yes, sir." A bit of disappointment crept into her voice, replacing the laughter.

Working in the kitchen! Kim had expected to be given work she could handle. Work a Jedi could handle. Being a cabin boy would be hard, but she could do so much more! She swallowed her feelings, and accepted it. It was taught in the Jedi academy that no job is too low for a Jedi.

Mr. Arrow and Doctor Doppler left, leaving the three new partners alone in the kitchen. Kim walked forward, determined to make the best of the situation. "Hi." She held out her hand to shake. Jim took it and shook.

"Hi." He could feel calluses on her palm. Whatever she did, it definitely wasn't paperwork.

"So, the cap'ns put you two with me." Silver turned back around to his work. Kim could feel the suspicion rolling off Jim.

"Guess so." He replied.

"Ah, well, who be a humble cyborg to argue with the cap'n."

Jim went over to a barrel filled with fruit of some sort. "Want some?" he asked Kim.

"Sure."

He tossed her a purple fruit (a perp, she sensed) and continued prodding Silver. "You know, these perps are a lot like the ones back home…on Montresser. Y'ever been there?"

Silver talked over his shoulder. "Can't says I have, Jimbo."

Jim talked through a mouthful of fruit. "Come to think of it, right before I left home…I met this old guy. He was looking for a cyborg buddy of his."

Now Kim felt suspicion rolling off Silver as he replied. "That so?"

"Yeah," Jim continued. "Now what was that old salamander's name? Oh, yeah. Bones. Billy Bones."

"Bones?" Silver asked. "Booones?" Recognition flashed around him, but he pulled it quickly under. "Nope, tain't ringin any bells. Must've been a different cyborg. There's a whole slew of em', round these parts."

The whistle blew. Silver pushed Jim gently towards Kim. "Aw, off with y', lad, and watch the launch. There'll be plenty o' work ta' do later."

Jim went up the stairs, and Kim followed.

Up on deck, there was bustle of action. Everyone was rushing around getting ready. The ship lifted up, and as it did, the gravity of the spaceport died away, and they started floating upwards. Kim managed to stay right side up due to her training, but Dr. Doppler and Jim were struggling. Captain Amelia called for the artificial gravity, and everyone dropped to the deck, the girls a bit more gracefully than the boys.

The thrusters were engaged, and the ship shot away. Kim watched from the railing as Jim clambered up the shrouds.

"Whoa!"

Giant, whale-like things were flying all around the ship. Dr. Doppler attempted to get a picture of one, but was sabotaged in the process. Another, younger whale came up close to get a good look at Jim.

The animal suddenly dropped down to look at Kim. She reached out with her mind to say, _Hi_. The large mammal responded with the fact that he had never seen any creature besides one of his own that could speak his language. _Well,_ she replied, shrugging, _I'm not exactly from around here._

The Orcus Galactacus was curious about this type of life-forms, but his pod was drifting away, so he said, _Bye. I hope we can talk again_.

_I look forward to it. _Kim almost waved, but remembered that teenagers in this world probably didn't wave to passing animals.

"Awesome, aren't they?" She asked Jim.

"Yeah…" He murmured, still held under the trance of the creatures.

The moment was broken by Silver calling out to them. "Kids!"

They turned around. The pot-bellied cook continued, "I've got three new friends I'd like you to meet." Jim looked around, and Kim already knew what was coming. The Force was in everything here, and that included the three items Silver was holding behind his back.

"Meet Mr. Mop, Mrs. Bucket, and their son, Mr. Mop Jr.!" He tossed two mops and a bucket at them.

Jim summed it up with one word: "Yippee."

* * *

"Yeah, I got ya, Mr. Mop," Jim grumbled. Kim worked on in silence. This was better than tramping around Degobah, but not _quite_ as exciting. She wondered what Obi-Wan and Anakin were doing right now. Did they miss her? She half-wished she was back with them, learning how to pilot from Anakin, who regarded her as a little sister.

She was jerked back to the present with a blow of hostile waves coming from near Jim. He was in a fight with a red, spider-like thing. She sighed inwardly. Did no one here know how to control their anger? She abruptly forgot her irritation as the spider-thing pinned Jim up against the mast.

"Any last words, cabin boy?" he hissed.

He let out a grunt of surprise and dropped Jim when Kim's foot came out of nowhere. The spider winced as her kick slammed into his ribs, knocking him to the deck. "Leave him alone!" Kim demanded, allowing the spirit she had suppressed to break free slightly.

Faster than she had been able to see back on earth, the spider's claw came rushing back. She could have dodged it, but that would show her Jedi reflexes, and she could sense help was on the way. So, she stayed where she was.

The claw grabbed her shirt and pinned her up against the mast along with Jim, who had been seized by the other claw. Jim winced as their shoulders banged together painfully.

"You'll regret that," the spider growled. Kim met the spider's stare.

"I'm _so_ sure. My, my, you are a brave one, picking on two kids."

"I'll ssstart with you, girl!"

A mechanical clamp came down hard on the arm holding Kim.

"Y'know, Mr. Scroop, have y'ever seen what happens to a fresh perp when y' squeeze…real hard?"

The clamp tightened, and both kids fell to the ground. Kim felt a stab of pain as a splinter entered her arm, but she pushed it aside. As Jim helped her up and Mr. Arrow "talked" to Mr. Scroop, she wondered why she hadn't followed their example and just talked it out. Why had she gone straight back to her martial arts skills? Anger and aggression were two key enemies to a Jedi Knight.

The conference had ended, and Silver was shooing everyone away. Then he whirled on Jim and Kim. "I gave y' two a job!" he said furiously, pointing to the mop.

"We were doing it until that spider thing came-" Jim started furiously.

Silver cut him off. "Excuses! Listen, y' two finish this deck, and heaven help y' if I come back up an' it's not done!"

He left Morph to watch them, and went back down into the kitchens. Kim waited till he was gone, then brought the arm with the splinter in it up for inspection. It was more like a small twig than a splinter, and bleeding. Jim noticed. "What's that?"

"Splinter," Kim replied.

"Do you need help with tha-"

He watched in stunned silence as she carefully yanked it out and drew a handkerchief from her pocket to bind it with. All the while, her expression remained calm. He would have winced at least once.

"C'mon," she said, picking up a mop with her injured arm, "let's finish this before Silver comes back."

* * *

Night had fallen. Jim and Kim were finishing up the deck. Kim chuckled at the sight of Morph, who had taken the shape of a mop to help them finish. She felt indecision leaking from Jim. He was debating something in his mind.

"Hey," he said.

"What?"

"Well, um…I…guess I should thank you for what you did. I could've taken him, though, and you could've gotten hurt."

"I know you could. I just speeded things along. I am sorry if I damaged your pride."

She felt him internally flinch. She had bruised his ego by helping. Kim couldn't really blame him. It had to be embarrassing, being saved by a girl.

Her thoughts were distracted when she heard footsteps approaching. Silver came up from below deck. "Thank heaven fer small miracles. The deck's still in one piece." He walked over to the railing, arms laden with a bowl of dinner scraps.

"Hey, Silver, about what you did…thanks." Jim figured he might as well do all his thanking at one time. Silver turned around from tossing the scraps overboard.

"Didn't yer pop ever teach y' ta pick your fights a bit more carefully?"

Jim turned away, hurt leaking past his tough-guy shield. Kim felt a rush of pity for the boy. She knew what it was like to be separated from your family.

"Yer father not the teaching sort?"

"No," Jim responded. "He was more the running away and…never-coming-back…sort."

"Oh. Sorry, lad…and you, lass? What's your story?"

Kim was quiet for a moment. Her past was an emotional roller coaster, and still hurt a bit to think about.

"My dad taught me, how to stay out of fights, I mean, but I was taken away before I could learn any more."

Jim looked up. "What do you mean, 'taken away'?"

Kim felt a flash of resentment towards Darth Maul, who had plucked her off Earth to be his apprentice. She escaped, and met Obi-Wan and Anakin, but had never seen her family since.

"I was taken from my home to be a slave. I escaped, and found a place to stay, but there have been…certain tests for me. I had to fight to survive, and if I lost, then I lost my life. I've made a pretty good life for myself, but I haven't been able to get back to my family since I was kidnapped. I don't know if my family is alive or dead or being hunted by the guy who took me…it's frustrating."

Kim was shocked at herself. Here she was pouring out her worries to these two strangers just as if they were as close to her as Obi-Wan.

"Is that why you came on this ship? To maybe find your family?" Jim asked.

"No, not really." _Before I left, Obi-Wan said that a time would come to warn them not to mess with Jedi, _Kim remembered. "I heard a legend about these incredible people that called themselves 'Jedi'."

Jim was curious. The word had a kind of power that went with it, as if it was more than what it seemed. Silver was also listening attentively. Kim hid a smile and launched into the "legend" of incredible fighters who were said to be unbeatable, who used blades of light as defense only, and who were guardians of peace. She told the story of a young boy (Anakin) who left his home to fulfill his destiny as a Jedi. "That's what inspired me to leave, to try to find my destiny."

They were quiet for a moment, each of them digesting this new piece of information about the other. Silver broke the silence by effectively changing the topic. "Well then, seeing as you're in my charge, I'm goin' to be knocking some skills into those thick heads of yours."

"What?" Jim was livid.

"Y' two won't so much as eat, sleep, or scratch yore bums without my say so." Silver retorted, slapping the rail for emphasis.

"Don't do us any favors, now." The surprisingly sarcastic reply came from Kim, who wasn't too eager to be watched over by this shady but charismatic character.

"You can be sure of that, kids. You can be sure of that."

As Silver walked away, Kim thought, _Does that mean we shouldn't be sure of anything else? I like him, but my gut's telling me otherwise._


	2. Days on the Ship

Days on the Ship

* * *

During the next few days, Kim felt herself being swept up in work. True to his word, Silver monitored their every action. But his one mistake was underestimating his two charges.

When he tried to teach them a knot, they tied both of their knots quicker than he did and made no mistakes. Jim swung down on his rope and Kim lowered herself hand-over-hand. When Silver looked up from his knot, Jim was on the rim of the ship, teaching Kim all about the wonders of space, which she had somehow never learned, and eagerly pointing out certain faraway stars and planets.

The next task was to clean the dishes the rowdy crew ate from. No sooner had the two friends finished the first batch than Silver dumped another huge armful in front of them. Jim looked after Silver in disbelief. "How in the world do they eat so much?"

"C'mon, Jim, we'd best get started before he comes back. I don't want to have to wash that deck more than once."

When Silver did come back, the two were sound asleep, Kim's head leaning on Jim's shoulder. A stew pot lay unfinished on Jim's lap. Silver frowned and almost woke them, but then he caught sight of the sparkling dishes on the counter. He looked at Morph ruefully. Morph returned the glance.

Jim was woken by something warm and heavy being placed on him. He opened his eyes and saw Silver's boots disappearing up the steps. The overcoat Silver always wore was draped over them. Jim then noticed Kim.

He felt an uncharacteristic blush spread over his cheeks. She looked so pretty asleep. Not at all like the sarcastic, brave, strong girl he knew in the daytime. He also knew that he would never let anything happen to her. As he fell back asleep, he wondered what this new feeling of care and protection he was feeling was. It was so unlike him.

The following day was the greatest. Silver was taking them out on a skiff to show them how to maneuver it. As they lowered the small boat, Kim and Jim exchanged glances. "This might actually be fun," Kim remarked quietly.

Silver gave them the okay sign, and they jumped in. Kim took a seat near the front. "Okay, let's let Jimbo 'ave a go first. To start it up, y' have to activ-"

Silver got no further. Jim pressed all the buttons, readied the controls and shot off at top speed in less than three seconds. He aimed right for a comet and carefully steered them into the tail.

It was then that Kim truly let go of her trained composure. She leaned into the air rushing by her cheeks and let out a triumphant whoop. As Jim performed various rolls and wavers, Kim laughed with the sheer exhilaration of it all.

Jim finally slipped the ship out of the comet's tail. They were all covered with a light, silvery powder. Kim turned around, smiling happily from the ride. Jim again noticed how pretty she could look. Powder glistened on her loose hair, her cheeks were pink from a combination of the wind and her laughter, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. And most importantly to him, she was happy. He didn't know why, but that made him happy, too.

"Well, if you don't mind, lass, I'd like to return to the ship. Jimbo's supplied all the excitement I need for the day."

Kim laughed, remembering the distress signals Silver had unconsciously been sending as he held on for dear life. "No problem."

Jim eased them up to the ship, and they started to pull themselves up. As they worked, Kim noticed how close Silver and Jim had become.

"Whoa, need a little help there?"

"Aw, get offa me, you…" Silver chuckled.

Kim stood up. "I think all that surfing made you two a little silly in the noggin. Though, being who you are, I'm not entirely sure I could tell."

"Kim!" Jim cried indignantly, tying a half-hitch knot.

"Hey," she shrugged and grinned. "Truth hurts sometimes."

Silver finished tying the skiff in place and sank down onto the seat. "She's right, lad. About you bein' the one knocked in th' noggin, that is."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Jim and Kim sat down too.

"In this case, I'll have t' agree with th' lass. Whew," Silver mopped his brow. "Jimbo, if I could fly a skiff like that at your age, they'd be bowin' in the streets when I walk by today." Morph, of course, imitated him.

"Well," Jim said, "they weren't exactly singing my praises when I left home." He glanced quickly at Kim sitting next to him. "But I'm gonna change all that," he added.

"Really?" Silver asked, petting Morph. "How so?"

"Uh," Jim was at a loss for words momentarily. "I got some plans. Gonna make people see me a little differently." He leaned back, closing his eyes and smiling.

Kim almost thought she imagined it, but some feelings of guilt and remorse flowed from Silver as he replied.

"Oh. Y'know…sometimes, plans go astray."

"Not this time." Jim was still completely happy and carefree. His plans were going perfectly. For the first time, he had a father-like figure to look up to. And he had a new friend in Kim, someone who, for the first time again, didn't care about his looks or schoolwork.

As she looked at Jim, lying back with a smile on his face, Kim had a sudden jolt of emotion that she hadn't felt for anyone quite like this. It was now important to her that Jim was happy. In fact, she'd give everything she had to make him happy. She looked deeper into herself and realized with another jolt what she was feeling.

_Love_.

There was no mistake about it. Her ability to feel the Force let her know _exactly_ what she was feeling.

She had known, from the first day, that Jim was a friend. Now, she understood that somehow, through the mystic fabric of time, space, and the Force, their souls were linked. They were two parts of the same kind of light.

But this was a most unfortunate turn. When Jedi fell in love, there were precious few who didn't let it get in the way of their duty. And after this mission, Kim was going back to where she belonged, to fulfill her own destiny. Parting would be horribly painful.

But, a rebellious side of her argued, what if he is your destiny? _Nothing happens by accident. _One of her first lessons from Master Yoda. She shook it off for the moment. She would deal with that when it happened.

"Hey, um, how'd that happen, anyway?" Silver was tightening a bolt on his artificial leg, which had spurred Jim's question.

Silver looked at Jim with pain in his eyes, then transferred his gaze to his mechanical hand, slowly flexing the finger digits.

"You give up a few things…chasin' a dream."

Jim felt pity and curiosity towards his friend. "Was it worth it?"

Silver gave Jim as small, slightly sad smile. "I'm hopin' it was, Jimbo." He put his arm around the two kids. "I most assuredly am."

An explosion rocked the boat, breaking the calm, quiet moment. "What the devil?" Silver took off towards deck, where havoc ensued.

Up on the bridge, Dr. Doppler was panicking. "On my goodness! The star Pelucid…it's gone supernova!"

"Evasive action, Mr. Arrow!" Amelia shouted as she dashed to the wheel.

"Aye, Captain! Crew, remember to secure your lifelines!"

The crew did, each checking his own line.

Another matter was brought to light as small, burning fragments of the former star ripped brutally through the solar sails. Amelia rapped out another order. "Secure all sails!"

The crew immediately started up to the sails, with Silver, Jim, and Kim included. The three friends started out towards the front sail. As Silver bent down to loosen a knot, a flaming ball of rock crashed just in front of him. He jumped, lost his balance, and with a shout started to fall.

"Silver!" Jim roared, and leapt forward to catch Silver's lifeline. Another red-hot rock struck, this time right into Jim. With a cry of pain, he too plummeted downwards.

"NO!"

Silver and Jim jerked to a halt, and both of them looked up at the source of the cry. Kim had one lifeline in each hand, and had hooked her feet around the boom so as not to be dragged up by their weight.

Kim sweated hard as she fought to keep her two friends alive. Jim and Silver would not die. Not with her still around. With the kind of strength only a Jedi in a crunch has, she brought the two lines together and started hauling them up.

When they reached the boom, they pulled themselves up, and Kim unhooked her feet to stand normally, if somewhat shakily. "Thanks, lass," Silver breathed as the two kids helped him up. The two words held heartfelt gratitude, and were all the thanks Kim could ever want.

An enormous ball of fiery rock heading right for the slow-moving ship distracted their attention. Kim knew this wasn't the end. In her home time, this whole adventure was a popular story and she knew it well, but the crew didn't know. And Jim _definitely _didn't know.

He and Silver were stunned, and fear for their lives and the lives of others rolled off of them. Jim most of all. His arm was around Kim, and Silver stood close to both of them. It was the oddest time to think about it, but she liked the feel of Jim's arm supporting her. She felt safe.

Just when the rock was about to hit, it started moving backwards. Jim and Silver stared at it in confusion.

Dr. Doppler gasped. "It's…devolving into…A BLACK HOLE!"

The RLS Legacy was swept helplessly towards the black pit of certain doom.


	3. Murder, Betrayal, Birthdays, and a Jedi ...

Murder, Betrayal, Birthdays, and a Jedi Revealed

* * *

Solar waves blossomed out of the hole, knocking the RLS Legacy off of its course to freedom.

"We're...not…goin' to make it…!" The steersman was flung away from the wheel as another wave hit.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Captain Amelia ran up and desperately tried to steer her ship away from danger. But, as she put it, "Blast these waves! They're so deucedly erratic!"

Dr. Doppler surprised everyone by correcting her. "No, Captain, they're not erratic at all! There's another one that's going to hit in precisely 45.7 seconds, followed by the biggest wave of them all!"

He was panicking, but Captain Amelia made the connection instantly. "Of course! Brilliant, Doctor! We'll ride that last one out of here!"

Even though she knew the story, Kim had to do a double take to make sure she heard correctly. _Well, it's not any crazier than taking on a Sith Lord unarmed, and I've already done that. _

Mr. Arrow came to report. "All sails secured, Captain!" he called.

"Good man! Now, release them immediately!"

He, too, did a double take. "…Aye, Captain."

Turning around, he thundered, "You heard her, men! Release those sails!"

The crew didn't take this well. With much grumbling and complaining, they started back up, along with Mr. Arrow. Working quickly, they started to secure the sails. Captain Amelia called Jim back momentarily. "Mr. Hawkins, make sure all lifelines are secure!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!"

Jim jumped off the shroud he was on and ran over to the lifelines. He gave a sharp yank on each one, making sure each was tight. "All lifelines secure, Captain!"

"Well done! Now go help with those sails!"

Jim clambered to do as he was told. As she worked on the line, Kim felt a life cry out in fear as it was extinguished. She almost fell off with the shock of hearing a life, a luminous beam of energy, killed instantly. She also felt a nasty harmony of hate and evil smugness.

She had known, of course, that one sailor wouldn't make it to Treasure Planet, but actually _being_ there when someone was killed...she hated it. Especially if she was the one doing the killing. Every time she'd had to kill some evil-doer to get out of a situation alive, as understandable as it was, she still hated that a life had to be wasted. And to make matters worse, she didn't know who the murderer was. While reading the tale late one night, she had drifted off and then had to speed-read the next morning. Somehow, one way or another, she'd missed the murderer's name. Then her mind turned to another problem; should she tell Jim someone was gone?

She decided against it. It was meant to happen, and to tell would mean revealing her Jedi skills. She couldn't play that ace card just yet.

They were incredibly close to entering the vortex of the black hole now. "Hang onto your lifelines, gents, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" Amelia yelled.

Jim pressed Kim against a mast, and Silver held onto them both. Kim felt an urgent desire to protect them coming from Silver, and noted it.

Jim was truly afraid, for perhaps the first time since she had met him. All three of them squeezed their eyes shut as they were sucked into a place where even light could not escape.

A faint boom sounded, and then the RLS Legacy shot out of the hole, the solar sails absorbing more energy than ever before, using the thing that would have killed them to free them.

The ship sailed out into open space with power to spare, and as Jim and Kim opened their eyes, the crew burst into shouts of joy and triumph. Captain Amelia signaled for everyone to come down, and walked off the bridge to meet them.

"Well, Mr. Silver," she said, coming down to the deck, "it seems your cabin boy did a bang-up job with those lifelines. Well done."

Silver nudged Jim proudly, and Jim playfully shoved him back. Captain Amelia continued. "All hands accounted for, Mr. Arrow?"

Silence was the answer to her question.

"Mr. Arrow?" she called again. But instead of the loyal, brave first mate, the shady Mr. Scroop walked forward, carrying with him the black hat Mr. Arrow had always worn.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Arrow has been lost," he said, voice dripping with false sorrow. He handed the hat to Amelia. "His lifeline was not secured."

Amelia shifted her gaze to Jim, hurt evident in her eyes.

"No! I checked them all!" Jim pushed past two members of the crew to see for himself and stopped in shock. One lifeline was missing. "No! I…I checked them, they were secure! I swear-"

Amelia's gaze now radiated disappointment and fury. She pulled it under quickly as she addressed the crew. "Mr. Arrow…was a fine spacer. Finer than most of us…could ever hope to be." Dr. Doppler hung his head in respect, and Amelia bravely continued. "But, he knew the risks, as do we all. We carry on." At that, she turned and walked back up to the wheel, trying to be strong, but Kim could feel the sorrow leaking past her façade.

Captain Amelia wasn't the only one. Jim was overcome with shame, guilt, anger at himself, and sadness. He rushed away, afraid to cry. Kim didn't know which one to comfort first, or even if she could do anything for either of them. She then noticed some peculiar scratches on the hitch where Mr. Arrow's lifeline had once been.

Walking over, she frowned as she got a closer look. The scratches were rather deep, made in a hurry. Putting her finger to one, she felt the roughness of the cut. It was made with something almost as sharp as a knife, but not quite. A fork, perhaps, or maybe…a claw. She instantly knew who the murderer was. A shady character that she had had the sense to proclaim an enemy the first day.

Mr. Scroop. He was the one who had committed the murder. For the first time since becoming a Jedi, she felt a glimmer of anger. She pushed it away, replacing it with determination to not let it happen again.

* * *

Night had fallen once more, this time with a very different feeling to it. Kim was looking for Jim, whom she hadn't been able to talk to since that afternoon. As she walked around a corner, waves of sadness swept across her internal vision, and she noticed Jim sitting forlornly on the shrouds. She started over, but stopped as Silver got there first. Smiling slightly, she headed to her hammock, now reassured that Jim was in good hands.

The rest of the crew was eating when she got to really talk with her friend. When Jim came down, he was now radiating peace and calm. Kim felt a new sense of respect towards Silver. Whatever he had said, it had done the trick.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Good. I was getting worried about you."

He stopped halfway into his own hammock. "You…were worried?"

"Well, yes."

He finished climbing into his hammock and turned to sit facing her. His face was serious. "I'm sorry I made you worry. I don't want you to be unhappy."

The two sat there for a moment, lost in thought. Kim decided to change the subject. "Um, do you know what the date is?" In all galaxies, the time was universal, and whatever day it was in this universe would be the same one in hers.

Jim looked over to a holographic calendar on the wall. "Sure. It's the 30th. Why?"

Kim was slightly shocked, but hid it quickly. Jim noticed it though, with as much precision as a force-sensitive person would have…

"What is it, Kim? What's wrong?"

She replied quietly, "Today's my fifteenth birthday."

Jim was at first surprised, then regretful. _I had to mess up on her birthday of all days,_ he thought dejectedly. Kim felt pity for her friend.

"It's alright. I had a great time solar surfing earlier. That was all I really needed."

Jim thought for a moment, then went over to his pack, searching through it. When he finally turned around, he had a candy bar in his hand. He went over to Kim's bunk and sat down next to her. "I was saving this for when we reached Tr—our destination, but now seems more appropriate."

Kim was touched. On a ship, candy was a rare treat. "Jim…it's really not necessary. You don't…" She fell quiet as he ripped open the wrapper.

"There. Now you have to eat it."

Kim sent a glare at Jim. "I'm not eating any if you're not. It is your candy bar."

He shrugged. "And I'm giving it to you." He placed it in her hands. "Happy Birthday."

Kim looked at him for a moment, and then expertly broke the candy bar in half. "Here. In my old home, I always share what I get with people I care about."

As Jim took the candy, he looked right into her eyes, gratitude filling them. She didn't hate him for what he'd done! She cared about him! As they ate the candy bar together, neither one of them could remember ever feeling happier.

* * *

Morning came with the snoring sounds of the crewmember from Flatula. One pink tentacle flopped onto Jim. He moaned, tossed around, and flipped right out of bed. Moaning again, he sat up mechanically, exhibiting all signs of regular teenager reactions to morning. He sleepily reached for his boot and pulled it on, then reached for the other one. As his hand came down, the boot hopped out of reach and behind some crates.

"Morph?" Jim rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up. He tottered over to the crates and slumped over one, trying to find the little shape shifter. "C'mon Morph, it's too early…"

His boot, aka Morph, whacked him soundly on the rear, driving away any clouds left in Jim's mind. He jumped. "Hey, MORPH!"

The shout woke Kim, who thrashed about and fell out of her hammock as well. "Whaa!"

Jim flinched at the effect of his cry. "Sorry, Kim. Its just Morph."

"Nah," she yawned, blinking sleepily. "I needed to get up anyway."

Morph, who had reverted back into his original form, pulled Jim's real boot out from behind a different crate and flew towards the stairs to the deck. The memory of the kick energized Jim. "Hey, come back here!"

He rushed after Morph, and Kim followed quickly after. Morph dropped the boot on the stairs and sped into a grate. The two kids fell on their knees next to it. "I'm gonna get you, you little squid…" Jim playfully growled.

Morph popped up, this time in the shape of Jim's head. "Little squid," he mimicked. Jim, growing playfully irritated, tried to hit Morph with his newly recovered boot. Morph ducked under, split himself into more Jim's, and popped back up and down. Jim flailed around with the boot while Kim made an effort with her hands. Finally, Morph grew tired of the game, and sped off to hide somewhere else. The two kids looked down the grate to see where he'd gone.

Jim stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen, finally pulling on his boot as he went. Kim looked under the tables while Jim checked the counter. They quickly narrowed it down to the perp barrel. Both kids peeked cautiously over the rim. A lone perp opened one eye then quickly closed it with a small squeak. "Ha! Busted!" Jim and Kim leapt for the shape-shifter simultaneously, bumping into one another and falling into the huge barrel. Morph flew around until Jim caught him. Kim grinned from the other side of the barrel, almost sitting on Jim, who blushed when he noticed. But their attention was distracted from each other by the sudden arrival of the entire crew in the kitchen.

Jim found a knothole to look out of, and Kim merely listened. Silver came in, livid over something. He stormed up to Mr. Scroop and almost yelled, "What do y' think yore doin'? Pull another stunt like that one y' did with Mr. Arrow, and I'll chuck y' overboard myself! Y' almost blew the whole mutiny!" He threw Scroop against the barrel, a feat for someone of his age and stature, almost knocking it over.

Inside, Jim started when Silver mentioned Mr. Arrow, and put two and two together. Relief mixed with anger rolled from him, the anger less than the relief that he wasn't responsible. But both kids were stunned when Silver mentioned mutiny. They had come to trust the old cook, regardless of what Kim had read. Kim thought that Jim regarded him as a father figure. They were still stunned when their own cover was almost blown by Scroop knocking against the barrel. Kim wryly thought, _I guess Silver's stronger than he looks._

Scroop stood up, rubbing his chest from the blow. "You talk a brave deal, but I knows otherwise."

He reached a claw into the barrel, grasping for something, but keeping his eyes on Silver. Both kids pressed themselves up against the sides. "Is that so?" Silver's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Scroop continued to grasp, and it clicked in Jim's mind what he wanted. Jim held up a perp where Scroop could get it, careful to keep his fingers out of the way. Scroop seized it and pulled his arm out, much to the relief of the teenagers.

Scroop pulled out a fresh perp. "It's those kids."

Silver paled, and his mouth opened slightly.

Scroop pierced the perp with his claw. "Methinks y' have a…soft spot for em'."

Silver took in the stares of the crew, and pulled on his commanding shield. "Now, mark me…the lot of ya! I care about one thing and one thing only."

Inside the barrel, Jim listened attentively.

" Flint's Trove!" Silver continued. "D' y' think I'd give it all up for some nose-wipin' little whelps?"

Kim's face grew tight, as it always did when she was fighting pain. Jim bit back a gasp/sob. This was the second time he'd lost a father.

Scroop sneered. "'Oooh, y've got the makings of greatness in ya…'" he mimicked. From Jim's reactions, Kim correctly guessed that this had been part of a personal conversation.

Silver whirled on him, mechanical eye going briefly red. "Shut yer yap!" Seeing the pirates watching him attentively, he smirked and continued. "The boy's nothin' but a fool, and the girl's not good for much else 'cept somethin' to look at. I cozied up to those kids to keep 'em off our scent. But I ain't gone soft!"

This lovely debate was broken by the cry of "Land Ho!" The pirates all rushed up, Silver included. Inside the barrel, Jim was looking lost, and Kim's expression was unreadable. Morph flitted around, not understanding why he was the only one still in good humor.

Up on deck, the "crew" was excited. A planet with two rings had appeared through the mist in front of them. This was Treasure Planet, the place where the "Loot of a Thousand Worlds" was hidden. Silver naturally wanted a closer look. He reached into his pocket and drew out…nothing. "Now, where'd that spyglass go?"

The object in question was sitting on the table across from the perp barrel. Jim and Kim stumbled out, still reeling from the betrayal of trust. Jim was taking it the hardest. Kim put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He looked at her, and the unspoken verdict was passed. Together, they started to run up the steps.

And met Silver halfway.

He was as shocked as they were. "Jimbo? Lass?" He glanced around, and then continued down the stairs, forcing them to back up. "Playing games, are we?"

Jim and Kim backed up against a table. Jim was the one who spoke for both of them. "Yeah. Yeah, we're playing games." His tone said, more clearly than words, _We trusted you, Silver. We trusted you, and you just threw it away._

"Ah," Silver mused. "I never was much good at playin' games." Behind his back, he quietly loaded a pistol that had been concealed in his mechanical arm. "I always hated t' lose."

Jim also reached for a weapon. A knife on the table would have to do as a distraction. With one hand he held it at the ready, and with the other, he found Kim's hand. He squeezed, letting her know it would be time to run soon. "Yeah…**me too**!"

In one fluid motion, he shoved the knife into the mechanical workings of Silver's leg, and as the pirate cried out in shock, Jim grabbed Kim and dashed up the steps. Silver staggered after them. Reaching the top, he used his mechanical eye to search for them. He was just in time to see Jim slam the door to Amelia's cabin shut.

Struggling to stand up, he switched his pistol out for a machete on his mechanical arm. "Change of plan, lads!" he called out. "We—move—NOW!" The pirates let out a cheer and hurried to re-arm themselves.

In the cabin, Amelia was having a tantrum. "Pirates on my ship, I'll see they all hang!" She threw open the safe doors and tossed a pistol to Dr. Doppler. "Doctor, are you familiar with these?"

Holding it tentatively, the Doctor responded, "Well, I've read about their use and—" The gun went off, blasting a light almost right by Amelia's head. "No, no, I'm not," he finished lamely.

Amelia resisted the urge to roll her eyes and turned her attention to Jim. "Mr. Hawkins, guard this with your life," she said, tossing the small golden sphere that served as the map to him. Morph, who had snuck into Jim's pocket, caught it and hovered just out of reach.

"Morph, no!" Jim wrenched it from Morph and stowed it securely in his pocket.

Something silver flashed by his face, and he turned to see Kim catch a small, silver, metal cylinder with a small red switch and a black handgrip. She had tied her hair up, and her face was hard with determination.

"Kim?" Amelia asked. "What are you going to do?"

Kim responded in a voice that seemed to have aged two years. "You three head down to the skiff and shove off. I'll hold them off up here and join you. I can't promise I'll take care of all of them, but it'll give you some time."

"What! Are you nuts?" Jim was dumbfounded and slightly furious that she would put herself into danger so casually. "How can you possibly take on an entire gang of pirates?"

Kim answered that by pressing the button on the handle. A blade of light blue light sprang forth, radiating power, and with it, she cut a circle through the wood. The hole now led to the lower deck…and freedom.

"Because," she said, assuming a fighting stance, "I am a Jedi."


	4. Fight for Freedom

Fight for Freedom

* * *

Jim couldn't believe his ears or eyes. What he wanted to happen was for Kim to grin and say, "Got ya! Let's go!" But what did happen was totally different. Kim moved into a position facing the door, eyes focused and determined, and no trace of humor anywhere on her face.

"The story…it was real." Jim realized.

"Yes." Kim talked, still facing the door with her lightsaber at the ready. "I'm sorry, Jim. I would have told you sooner, but I was forbidden to. Now," she said, looking at the door, "you must go. They'll get through here in about 57 seconds. Silver's got a _really _nice blaster."

"NO! I'm not leaving you to face him alone!" Jim made as if to stand next to her, but was pushed back gently by an invisible force.

"No, Jim. Go."

The Doctor jumped through the hole, followed by the Captain. "Jim! Come on!" The Doctor frantically called.

Jim went over to the hole slowly, but turned around one last time. "Kim, be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know, Jim. I want you to be safe, too. But this was meant to happen. Go," she said a bit more frantically, still facing the door. Blasters were beating mercilessly against the steel lock. They didn't have much time. Still, Jim stood there.

"Jim, GO!"

The invisible force hit him again, knocking him into the hole. Kim knew he wasn't hurt, but still regretted shoving him through. _No time for regrets, now_, she thought, and, as she felt what was going on, extinguished her lightsaber. She jumped up to grab a rafter and swung herself up just as the door burst open.

Silver stormed in, almost hoping Jim and Kim were out of danger. He lost track of thought though, when two feet came swinging out of nowhere to knock him backwards. Kim dropped down from the ceiling, and, without missing a beat, rammed into Silver with the hard bone of her shoulder, pushing the entire gang backwards in a stumbling, cursing heap.

Silver suddenly found himself lying down on the deck. What had hit him? As he got up, he saw Kim in the doorway, a small metal tube in her hand.

One of the pirates behind him snarled, and, without warning, a shot sped towards the seemingly unarmed girl. Silver almost cried out in warning.

Kim moved faster than the pirates would have thought possible. A brilliant blade of light blue light shot out of the tube, and Kim _reflected_ the bolt, hitting the pistol that had fired it. The pirate stared in shock as his weapon crumbled through his fingers.

It didn't take Silver long to put it all together. _Blade of light…unbeatable warriors…defenders…_"You're a Jedi!"

"Yes, Silver. I'm glad you paid attention. Because," she said, bringing her lightsaber up, "now you know what you're up against."

Rage built up in Silver, to think that his charge would rise up against him. Unable to control what he saw as an unforgivable betrayal, he shouted, "FIRE!"

Shots sped towards the Jedi, and the blade of blue light came into play. Kim spun it around expertly, reflecting all the bolts. She jumped higher than humanly possible, and even reflected the shots they aimed at her as she flipped through the air. Landing right in the middle of the angry pirates, the lightsaber swung out, and havoc ensued.

Wherever she hit or kicked, the pirate that had received the blow was knocked off. A few, including Silver, ran for the door to the cabin. Eyes flashing, she struggled to fight her way over, but the sheer number of pirates forced her to settle for staying alive. Her lightsaber gleamed as she cut through a gun, not really wanting any bloodshed.

A pirate swung down from the rafters, a knife in his tentacle. The lightsaber deftly cut the knife in half, and Kim jumped up to let her foot connect with his head...hard. He let go of the rope, and with a scream, fell over the side of the railing.

The pirates didn't really care about their companions, but the sight of one of them being bested by a child re-energized them. A new volley of shots erupted. Kim, running, dodging, and getting a kick in wherever she could, did her best to fend them off. Most of her blocks sent the shots right back to destroy what had fired them, but a few blasts were sent out into space.

When all the weapons had been destroyed, Kim switched off her lightsaber and stowed it quickly in her belt. Since she was here, she might as well get a little hand-to-hand practice in.

She ran head-on into the mass of pirates, taking them by surprise. Spinning, she flipped on her hands to kick two thugs with her feet, sending them flying into two more pirates. For at least three minutes, all thought was lost except defense. Blocks, kicks, punches, flips…all of them rolled into one thought. _I've got to keep them busy. They can't get to the map! _

She heard the glorious sound of a launch, of her three friends getting away to safety. Still fighting, she noticed Silver stagger up steps from the skiff hangar. As her fist connected with a pirate's jawbone, she saw Silver dashing (as quickly as he could with his injured leg) over to the blaster that had been used to blast small rocks during the trip. The gunman was currently aiming for a small boat that was streaking away.

_No._

That one thought flashed in her mind. Defiance roared through her muscles as she flung the attacking pirates away with power born of desperation. She didn't see Silver trying to turn the gun away, shouting, "We'll lose the map!" All she saw in her mind's eye was Jim, smiling, holding the precious map. If that shot was launched, she would fail her mission. If that shot was fired, she would lose the object that she had come on board to protect.

If that shot actually hit, she would lose one she loved.

No more "if's".

She leapt on the railing, eyes focused on her target. Just as the enormous cannon was fired, a body slammed into it, knocking it aside with a horrible crunch.

Kim slumped onto the railing, her left shoulder dislocated. She pushed the agonizing pain away, determined not to cry, and helplessly watched the shot speed down towards its target, leaving a red-gold tail of fire in it's wake.

The blast only clipped the boat, but that was enough to send it down. Not in flames, thankfully, but to eventually skid into the trees. Kim felt no life go out. Her friends had not been killed in the blast, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her Jedi sense screamed danger, and she automatically reached for her lightsaber and ignited it.

As she painfully stood up on the rail, left arm hanging uselessly at her side, she noticed she was looking right into the mouth of the cannon. A glow spread rapidly up from the center, and Kim brought her lightsaber up in front of her just as the blast was released.

Kim was flung off the boat, the blast merely pushing her, thanks to her lightsaber. With her last bit of strength, she flung the bolt back, consuming the cannon and its gunner. Then, she fell.

* * *

Silver watched in shocked fascination as the brave Jedi plummeted towards the trees. Her face was a mixture of calm, brave, and at peace. He didn't understand it.

* * *

Jim was knocked aside from the blast, but otherwise alive. The sound of another blast made him look back, to see if it really was the end for them. He saw a small explosion on the ship, and a figure attached to a beam of light fall from the ship.

No matter how painful it was to see it, he couldn't look away. Not even as the figure fell through the sky, not even as the figure disappeared into the canopy of trees, not even as an anguished cry ripped itself from his throat. First his father, now his friend.

* * *

Kim was not ready to die, and already knew which trees to grab to stop her fall. But she somehow saw and heard with incredible clarity. She saw Silver's face, in a mask of horror at what was happening. She heard a cry filled with longing, love, and unbelievable defiance split the air. She hated to cause Jim pain, but she couldn't stop her fall like that one time on Tatooine. The pirates had to believe that she was dead, and only plummeting seemingly to her death would convince them.

As she broke into the many branches and grabbed the one she knew would support her, she remembered her shoulder. _I'll have to fix that when I get on the _ _grou__nd._ She let go of the branch, her downward motion stopped.

She landed effortlessly on the ground and looked up. The RLS Legacy wasn't moving. That was to be expected, after what had just taken place. Closing her eyes, she cautiously reached up with her mind. The general feeling on the ship was confusion, followed closely by a mixture of anger and frustration. _Dangerous combination, _she thought to herself.

She took in her position and stretched out her consciousness to sense where her friends had landed. Before long, she felt the familiar...well, _being_ of Jim and the two others. That taken care of, she turned her attention to her arm. _I sure can't fight with it like this, _she thought. Bracing herself, she used the Force to pop her shoulder joint back into place. It hurt terribly, but then a throbbing relief replaced it, and she focused on carefully binding the loose muscle back together.

Her work done, she set off to the east at an incredible speed, determined to make it back to her friends before too much time passed. She wasn't that far off, and the energy she drew from the Force would more than suffice. She just hoped that she could get to them before the pirates did. Already she could sense the search parties they were sending out.

She skidded to a stop just before a clearing, and, peering through a gap in the trees, instantly spotted the fallen boat. But she didn't see anyone. Staying out of sight (it wouldn't be good if the pirates saw her, and Silver had a spyglass to do so), she circled around to the other side of the boat. She saw Jim, looking lost and quite pale. The Doctor was propping Captain Amelia up, who, she felt, had been badly burned in the side.

Taking a breath, she stepped out of the brush.

Jim looked without really seeing for a moment. His mind was on his friend; the one he had never told how he truly felt. How could she be gone? It was only when Dr. Doppler hid a gasp that his mind realized what was in front of him.

Kim walked out of the brush, looking a bit scratched but otherwise fine, hunching over to get to the boat. Jim was stunned. Then the stun turned instead to unbridled joy. He barely held himself down as she walked over. Only when she knelt down next to him did he move at all.

The Jedi, too, was stunned momentarily as she was swept into a tight hug. Then she snapped out of it, and returned Jim's embrace, savoring the fact that he wasn't hurt. Jim pulled back, his eyes searching hers intently. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

She was then pulled into another hug, this time from Dr. Doppler. "It's a miracle you're alive. But I am glad that you are."

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

Captain Amelia sat up slowly. "Oh, pooh. You gave us enough time to get out of there."

Kim smiled. "I'm glad I could help. And," she checked both her feelings and the sky, "it's safe to come out. The pirates haven't got a clue where we are."

They all crawled out. Amelia turned her gaze painfully to the burry outline she thought was Jim. "Mr. Hawkins—" A double take cleared her vision, and revealed a bemused Dr. Doppler standing in front of her. Kim frowned, and closed her eyes for a moment. Amelia's sight cleared, and the pain in her side lessened considerably.

"Mr. Hawkins," she continued, turning this time to Jim, "the map, if you please."

Jim pulled it out of his pocket with a sigh of relief. The small golden sphere started floating upwards. Jim looked at Kim. She shook her head. They all returned their gaze to the ball. Pieces started coming off…and came together again, turning pink and loosing their shape. Morph shook off the last bits of his disguise and laughed hysterically at his prank.

"MORPH!" Jim was loosing his patience. "Where's the map?"

Morph split in two. One half formed a rope, which coiled up. The other half formed another replica of the map, and zoomed into the coil.

"Are you serious? It's back on the ship?" Jim gestured wildly towards the ship, and Morph nodded.

"Well," Amelia said skeptically, "if we're to have any chance of getting that map back, we'll need a better defense. Mr. Hawkins," she pulled out a pistol and handed it to him. "Take Miss Kim and scout around. See if you can find a more favorable area."

Kim stepped forward. "Captain, I feel I should warn you. I can't heal you with the Force. I've only begun to learn how to heal myself. You're going to need medical attention, and keeping your pain away is draining."

Amelia nodded. "Very well. Save your strength. I can deal with it. Besides, we'll need you at your best if the pirates come around."

"Okay. I can keep the pain away while you get your injuries treated, and then you'll fall asleep for a while. Is that acceptable?"

Amelia nodded. Kim's eyes glazed over, and she seemed to be looking inside Amelia instead of at her. Finally, her eyes snapped back to normal. She addressed Dr. Doppler. "When you finish, she'll fall asleep. Don't worry about it. It's perfectly natural."

Jim stepped towards the forest. "C'mon Kim. Let's go." Together, they stepped into the unknown world.


	5. Confrontations and a Plan

As the two friends strode through the trees, Jim couldn't help but notice the change in his friend, relived though he was that she was alive. She seemed taller, older, and more mature. She now radiated an air of peace and reassurance that would make even the most experienced warrior turn to her in a time of need. It hit him in a new way that she was a _Jedi. _Jim wondered how to strike up a conversation worthy of someone of her rank, but Kim spoke first.

"Jim, I'm sorry."

He was caught off guard. "For what?"

Kim sighed. "I wanted so badly to tell you what was going to happen, but it was forbidden of me. And I'm sorry I made you worry about me. But it will be better for us if the pirates believe me dead."

"And, there is something about you that you should know." She added.

Jim was confused. What about him would even begin to concern a Jedi?

Kim continued. "You are Force-sensitive. I felt it when I first met you. That's why you have such quick reflexes. It's also why you can do things that need to be done before the need arises. Being Force-sensitive is a trait that all Jedi must have. It's how children are identified for training."

"Why are you telling me this, Kim?"

She hesitated as she pushed a branch aside. "Because…if you wanted to…there is a chance that you would be accepted into the Jedi Academy."

Jim was quiet. The Academy? Become a Jedi? His heart leapt at the thought of exploring her world with her…and plopped down at the thought of his mother. He couldn't just leave her here! She needed him.

Another thought stopped Jim cold. "So…when all this is over…I guess you'll be heading back to your home, huh?

Kim nodded, her face betraying no emotion. "Yes."

"Will I ever see you again?"

Kim was silent. "I…I don't know."

A rustle sounded from the bushes. Jim and Kim looked at one another and nodded. Kim switched on her lightsaber, and Jim fired up his gun. They moved cautiously towards the underbrush. Jim peered down a bell-like plant…

"HELLO!"

A metallic droid shot out of the plant onto Jim. Kim almost sliced off its head, but as she felt deeper into it's being, she chuckled. This weird (and crudely made, Kim thought) thing meant them no harm. But it was becoming a source of instant irritation to Jim.

"Oh, glorious! Finally, two carbon-based life forms are here to rescue me."

Kim gently pulled the droid off Jim. "Come now, leave poor little Jim alone." She grinned wickedly as Jim shot her a glare.

Standing up, Jim brushed himself off. The metal creature continued chattering.

"It's so good to see someone! Let me introduce myself. My name is…my…name is…urgh." The droid dropped his head into his hands, trying to remember the piece of information that currently eluded him.

Jim looked skeptically at Morph. Morph turned into a small replica of the droid and popped a cuckoo bird out of his head. Kim hid a smile and gently reached over to tap Morph on the head, causing him to turn back to his normal form.

The droid popped his head back up. "B.E.N.! Heh, of course! Bio-Electronic Navigator!"

"I'm Jim, and this is Kim." Jim introduced them.

He glanced at Kim, knowing the urgency to find shelter, and sensing he should continue. "Well," he said, "it was very nice meeting you, but we're being chased by pirates and we've got to find shelter."

As the two teenagers started to walk away, the droid leaned against a tree, still chattering. "Pirates! Oh, don't even get me started on pirates! I remember Captain Flint."

Jim and Kim spun around simultaneously. B.E.N. still talked on. "Now, this guy had a temper. I personally think he suffered from mood swings. I'm not a psychiatrist by any means…you let me know when I'm rambling!"

"You knew Captain Flint?" Kim asked.

"But that must mean…you know about the treasure!" Jim exclaimed.

"Treasure?" B.E.N. seemed a little disoriented. Jim tried to help him out.

"Yeah. Flint's Trove, the Loot of A Thousand Worlds?"

Morph further assisted him by turning into a small treasure chest filled to bursting with gold coins.

B.E.N. struggled to remember. "I…I remember…treasure. Lots and lots of treasure!" Treasure chests flashed on his eyes, which apparently also served as a video screen. "And a big door…opening and closing, opening and closing!" A triangular sign appeared on the screens, opening and closing. Kim hid a gasp. It looked quite similar to the portals she used to travel back and forth through time and galaxies. "In the centroid, centroid of the mechanism!" No pictures accompanied this. "And Flint didn't want anyone to find his treasure so he….ARGH!"

Sparks began popping off some loose wires in the back of his head. "REBOOT, REBOOT, REBOOT…" Jim promptly slapped him on the head, reminding Kim of teenagers on Earth slapping the tops of TV's when they got bad reception. Apparently, the same method was used here. B.E.N. shook his head.

Looking at Jim, he said, "And you are…?"

Jim shook his head. "Wait, wait, what about the treasure?"

Still continuing on his first question, B.E.N. responded, "I want to say, 'Larry'."

Jim gaped at the forgetful droid.

"Oh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose!" Patting Jim's shirt, B.E.N. asked, "You haven't found it, have you? My missing piece?" He turned around to show them the missing part of his head where only a few stray wires remained.

"No, sorry." Kim responded.

"C'mon, Kim," Jim said, walking on. "It was nice meeting you, but we really should be going now."

B.E.N.'s eyes grew large and sad. "Well, O.K. I'm sorry I'm so…dysfunctional. I hope you find what you're looking for." He sank down to the ground. "And I do understand. I do." He sniffed pathetically. "Bye."

Jim rolled his eyes, not wanting to bring this…thing…along, but feeling sorry for him nonetheless. Kim, too, felt sorry for B.E.N. _I wonder how long he's been alone here,_ she thought. _I can do a mission by myself, but everyone needs someone to talk to. Including me._

"If you come with us, you have to stop talking." Jim finally gave in.

"Huzzah!" B.E.N. leapt up, carefree attitude restored. He ran over to Jim and jumped into his arms, giving him a hug. "Me and my bestest buddies Jim and Kim, going off into the unknown…" Jim glared at him with a look that could have melted ice. "Oh, right. Quiet." B.E.N. pretended to zip his lips together.

"And you have to quit _touching_ me." Jim (somewhat gently) dropped the droid a few feet away.

"Right. Talking and touching, two big no-no's." B.E.N. nodded.

"Now, I think this way--" Jim started, but was interrupted by the droid.

"Hey, Jimmy, before we start our big 'search', can we make a stop at my place? It's, uh, kind of urgent."

B.E.N. pulled away a few plants to reveal a "home" with a high entrance.

"Ben," Kim said slowly, "I think you may have solved our problem."

Dr. Doppler was getting Captain Amelia settled in the droid's home. Kim and Jim were discussing what would be the most effective way to defend themselves.

"We're up fairly high, and the pirates will only have a little cover from that ditch down there." Kim pointed out.

"Yeah, but there're so many of them. They may get up here faster than I can shoot."

"Well," Kim said, "if that happens, I'll just have to reveal myself. It'll only be playing our ace card a little earlier than planned."

The chat was broken by B.E.N.'s yells. "Hey, there are some more of your friends! HEY GUYS, WE'RE UP HERE!" Pirate rifles trained on the droid.

A millisecond before the shots were fired, Kim raced over and, keeping out of sight, yanked B.E.N. back into the house. Jim popped up next to the door and returned fire.

Down by the ditch, Silver waved his arms. "Cease fire! You're only wastin' firepower."

Jim peeked out to see what had happened. Silver was down there, waving a white flag. "Ah, Jimbo, if it's all right wi' the cap'n, I'd like t' have a few words wi' ya. A peace talk, if y' will."

"No doubt to bargain for the map, the scoundrels," Amelia snapped.

"But that means," Jim realized, "that they think we still have it."

Kim closed her eyes as she mentally saw Jim walk down to meet Silver. Using a tiny bit of the Force, so as not to give away her presence, she reached for the ball of light energy she held in her soul.

This light was the reason she had been chosen to come on this mission. She was no ordinary Jedi. But the time to explain that would come. She mentally glided down the slope along with Jim, knowing that her presence would bring calm and courage.

Jim stepped down to meet Silver. Silver cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Jimbo, I first want t' say that…well, I'm sorry about Kim." Kim thought she sensed sadness and grief coming from him. "She was a good lass, no matter what I said."

Reminded of the hurtful things Silver had said, Jim's face grew tight. "And about that…what y' heard…about you kids…" Silver swallowed, almost as if to try and swallow the guilt he was feeling. "I didn't mean a word of it. But that band, they were out fer blood! If they thought I'd gone soft, they'd 've gutted us both."

Jim's expression was unchanged.

Silver leaned in confidentially. "But y' know what? I figure that if we go find the treasure, we can both have an even share. We can get away from all this."

"Yeah?" Jim seemed to be considering the idea.

"Yeah. Then we can take off, and never have t' worry 'bout those blokes again."

Jim rubbed his chin, and then slowly started walking around Silver. "Well, first off…all that stuff about greatness, light coming off my face…what a joke."

"Now, see here—"

"Well at least you taught me one thing. To stick to it? Well that's what I'm gonna do." Silver looked speechless. "I'm gonna make sure you never see one drubloon of my treasure!"

Silver lost it. "That treasure is owed me, by thunder!"

"Yeah? Well try and find it without my map, by thunder!"

Silver glared at Jim. "Y' still don't know how t' pick yer fights." Jim returned his gaze, determination blazing from his eyes. As Kim sensed what he was about to say, she mentally yelled, _No! Don't bring me into this! There's no need!_

"And Silver…about Kim…" Silver grew quiet as Jim said these words. "How could you possibly think that a 'sorry' would replace her?" Jim's voice shook with pent-up rage.

He knew Kim was alive and well, but what if she had missed the branch? She had told him about that as they walked back to get the Doctor and Captain Amelia. What if Silver had actually killed her? This…_pirate_…had almost taken her away forever!

"I do wish it hadn't happened, Jim. But she would've been safe if she'd had just come over t' our side—"

"She was protecting us! And you killed her!"

_Oh, Jim. Please…just stop. I'm okay, remember? _Kim wanted to speak directly mind-to-mind, but she couldn't. He hadn't opened his mind to her. Of course, he couldn't without proper training.

Silver's mind was in turmoil. She could sense that even without a link. He almost hated himself. He had, after all, given the order to shoot.

His view changed in self-defense. "Y' shouldn't have run! If y' want t' blame someone, blame yerself fer not stayin' to protect her!"

Jim's face froze, and then changed into one of fury. "She told me to go!"

Silver responded, almost gently, "She loved ya, lad."

Jim paled slightly, and then the look of anger returned. "Get out of here, Silver. Go home, because you're never going to see one bit of that treasure."

"Y' have till morning t' surrender the map, or so help me, I'll use the ship's cannons t' blast y'all to kingdom come!" He paused, and then added contemptuously, "Y'll at least get t' see Kim again that way." Silver sneered and turned away, but his attention was caught by Morph, who was hovering by Jim's shoulder. "Morph, come." Morph hesitated.

"NOW!" Silver exploded. Morph squeaked and hid behind Jim.

Silver grunted and turned away. Jim turned sharply and headed back up the hill. Kim stayed by Silver a few seconds longer. Silver looked back at Jim sadly.

_I know he doesn't deserve it, but I wish I could comfort him._ As it was, all Kim could do was gently brush his shoulder, and a small feeling of comfort swept through him. As Kim mentally sat back into her body, Silver wondered why he had felt so safe just then. He had no reason, no right to feel any comfort. But, whatever it was, he did appreciate it.

Kim opened her eyes just a few seconds before Jim climbed back in. She was quiet as her eyes met his. Briefly, something filled them. Jim wore a look of gentleness for a moment.

He remembered what Silver had said. _She loved ya, lad._ He shook it off quickly and walked by. What did Silver know?

_He should've known,_ Jim thought, _that I would never forgive him if anything happened to Kim. _

Later that night, Jim stood by the door, assessing their situation. "If we try to get the map, we're dead." He looked at the pirate camp. "If we try to leave, we're dead. And if we stay here, ---"

Morph finished the thought for him. "We're dead! We're dead, we're dead, we're dead!" Jim groaned.

"Doesn't leave much room for optimism, huh?" Kim asked. She felt the weight of the decision that rested on Jim, and gently placed one hand on his shoulder. It was all she could do at the moment. She started as Jim put his hand over hers.

He needed comfort and Kim's hand was welcome. But her hand increased his thought process. She could defend herself; he knew that now. But some instinct told him that she still needed protection from some so far unseen threat. He was determined to give it to her. Just the feel of her hand conveyed an unfathomable energy and a love of life. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. She was too important to him. And not as a Jedi.

B.E.N. interrupted his thoughts.

"Well, I think Jimmy could use a little 'quiet time', so…I'll just slip out the back door."

Kim whirled around. "Back door?"

"Oh, yes." B.E.N. continued. "I get this lovely breeze through here, and…"

He continued talking even as Jim and Kim raced over to the sphere he was turning over. A hole revealed a bottomless abyss of machinery.

Jim was stunned. "What is all this?"

"You mean the miles and miles of machinery that runs throughout the entire planet? Not a clue." B.E.N. leaned casually on the edge.

Jim turned to Doctor Doppler, who was watching over Amelia. "Doc, I think I've found a way out of here." He climbed onto the sphere and stood over the hole.

Kim moved closer. "I'm coming too."

Jim frowned for a moment. Then, as he remembered that she had held off a group of pirates and survived a 100 foot fall all on her own, he relaxed slightly. "Okay."

Looking again to Doctor Doppler, he said, "We'll be back." He then leaped up and fell into the hole. Kim swung herself in after him, and B.E.N. finished the line with a cry of, "Cannonball!"

Doppler shook his head. "What is his mother going to say?"

The three friends appeared under a moss-covered hatch. The pirate camp wasn't even twenty feet away. Jim and Kim moved as silently as possible, but B.E.N. almost blew their cover. "So, what's the plan, Jimm--!" Kim had wordlessly reached over and clamped his mouth shut. Even Jedi had their limit of patience.

Jim and Kim tensed as Silver turned over in his sleep. They could make no mistakes now, or it would cost them their lives. Fortunately for them, Silver merely grunted and turned over.

"Ok, here's the plan," Jim whispered. "We go to the ship, disable the cannons, and get the map."

"I like that plan. That's a very good plan. But, uh, how are we gonna get there?" B.E.N. asked.

Jim pointed to the small skiff tethered nearby. "On that."

The small skiff silently glided up to the RLS Legacy. Kim nimbly flipped over the railing and landed without a noise. Jim swung himself over, but only a minimum of noise was made. Morph slipped out of Jim's pocket and hovered nearby. Jim and Kim were walking stealthily towards the stairs when…

CRASH!

Jim jumped, but Kim merely spun around. B.E.N. had topped right onto the deck. Kim briskly strode over and picked him up with one hand. Still carrying him, she calmly walked back over to Jim. "What do you want us to do?" she asked, setting B.E.N. down. The three walked down the steps as Jim conveyed his plans in a whisper.

"Kim, you and I will go for the map. Then—"

"I'll disable the laser cannons, Captain Jimmy Sir!" B.E.N. took off down the hall.

"No, Ben, wait!"

The droid was already on his way, absently singing, "Yo ho, yo ho, the pirate's life for me…"

Jim rubbed his forehead. "I hope he can do it right."

Kim smiled slightly. "If he can, that in itself will be a big help."

Jim started down towards the skiff launch. "Its if he doesn't get it right that worries me."

They entered the launch room. Jim made a beeline for a small coil of rope. Reaching into it, he pulled out a familiar golden sphere. He sighed in relief.

They both started as an alarm went off. Kim and Jim looked at each other and raced back up the stairs to the deck. As they ran, Jim panted, "That crazy droid is going to get us all—"

"Killed." Kim finished, not wanting to deal with this irritation again right now.

Scroop stood at the top step. His evil yellow eyes seemed to widen a bit when they took in Kim. "Cabin boyssssss."

Jim took off in the opposite direction, but Kim stood her ground. She flipped on her lightsaber and assumed a fighting stance. Scroop grinned evilly and took out a small silver sphere. Kim's eyes widened. Abruptly, she spun around and started running.

Jim skidded to a halt to wait for her. But she never caught up.

Scroop flicked a switch on the sphere and hurled it at her. Kim tried to block it with her lightsaber, but it was no good. An energy field, resembling tamed lightning, burst out of the ball, swept her up and held her captive.

Kim was so confused. Scroop had just used a special type of bondage system that so far, only the Jedi knew about…no. She realized with a horrible jolt who else knew. The Sith.

And worse, one of them had been here. Her mind knew she was going to be there until someone could press the release button, so she did the only thing she could.

"Run, Jim! _Run!_"

Jim didn't want to leave her, but since she didn't seem to be in any pain, he ran.

Scroop hissed at her as he dashed after Jim. Kim struggled to turn around to face the direction they had gone, but it was useless. B.E.N. had turned the lights off momentarily, so even if she could turn around, it would do her no good. Remembering something Kenobi had taught her (and mentally kicking herself for forgetting), she felt what was going on through the Force, using it to replace her eyes.

Jim was pushing things over, trying to present more obstacles, and Scroop was hot on his trail. A small blob burning with energy was speeding back towards her.

"Morph!"

Morph circled around her, glad to see his friend but wondering why she was taking a break.

"Morph, listen. There's a small silver button on that ball down there. Can you hit it?"

Morph saluted her, then, forming one big finger, flew down to hit the release button. Kim fell to the ground, shouting, "Now go help Jim!"

Morph zoomed off, with Kim running in hot pursuit.

Then, her feet lifted off the ground. She knew instantly that the gravity had been disengaged. And, lucky for her (not), a hatch was directly overhead. As she drifted through it, she grabbed the edge, feeling the bite of more splinters but ignoring it.

Still using the Force, she felt for Jim. He had not been as lucky as she had, and was floating up, along with Scroop. Jim latched on to the flag, and Scroop grabbed a rope. When Scroop started sawing through the rope, Jim pulled his way down to the more solid wooden mast. Kim set her teeth as Scroop grabbed Jim's blaster. She pushed off the hatch with her feet, gathering speed, and crashed into Scroop as he fired.

The shot towards Jim went wild, but Scroop shot off another…right at her. Twisting, she saved her stomach, but intense pain shot through her as her side was clipped by the blast.

An arm reached out. Jim's. He grabbed her around the waist (Kim bit back a gasp as her wound was pressed upon) and yanked her away. Scroop clipped her on the shoulder with his claw, but before he could do any more damage, Jim and Kim together kicked him off.

Scroop grabbed the pirate flag, but his own hate was his undoing. He had sawed through part of the rope, trying to kill Jim. Now, the rope snapped on him. With a scream of "Nooooooooooo!", the once-dangerous pirate was sucked into the deep, unforgiving void of space.

A purple wave swept across the deck as gravity was restored, and the two friends crashed to the ground. Jim got up, but Kim made no movement. "K…Kim!" Jim fell back on his knees and turned her over.

"Hush, Jim. I'm just tired." Kim's face was pale, but her expression was calm and untroubled.

"Tired, my boot! You're hurt!" He pointed to the blood leaking through her shirt. _Oh, no. Blood! _He internally cried. He lifted her shirt hem, careful not to hurt her. The wound was ugly, but he didn't get to observe it any more carefully.

Ignoring his protests, Kim sat up, and closed her eyes, reaching inside for the Force. She stopped the worst of the bleeding, and burned away infection. All this was done in the space of an eye blink. Color returned to her cheeks. The pain was still there, but Kim shoved it out of her mind. She drew some bandage from a hidden pocket in her breeches, and wrapped it around herself.

Jim gaped as she did so without wincing. She carefully stood up, and took a few careful steps. "How…how did…?" Jim couldn't even ask it.

"I told you I barely know how to heal myself. A more experienced Jedi would have partly or even completely healed it. I just stopped the worst of the flow. And I'm going to be tired for a while. Do you still have the map?"

Still stunned, Jim nodded. He drew out the map from his pocket.

"Yes."

A shout from the stairs made them turn. "Laser Cannons disabled, Captain Jimmy sir!" B.E.N. stood there absolutely covered in wires of all colors. "That wasn't so bad…was it?"

Kim smiled, shook her head, and led Jim back to the skiff.

Jim pulled himself out of B.E.N.'s "back door". Kim had stayed behind to help B.E.N. across some beams, sending Jim on ahead. "Dr. Doppler?" He raced over to the dark figure resting by a boulder and held out the map. "Dr. Doppler, we got it!"

A mechanical hand reached out of the darkness to swipe the map away. Silver leaned into the light, grinning. "Fine work, Jimbo. Fine work, indeed." Jim froze, slightly stunned.

A grunt attracted Jim's attention. Captain Amelia and the Doctor were tied up, gagged, and held fast by pirates. Jim made a lunge for the map, but a pirate leapt forward to hold him, too.

B.E.N. popped his head out of the hole, and was taken hold of by yet another pirate. "Hey, hey, watch the face!"

Behind him, a blur shot out of the hole. Kim leapt forward with a cry and kicked the pirate holding Jim right out of the house. Her blue light saber sprang into action to deflect blaster bolts. She had a few pirates down on the ground and in serious pain when a mechanical fist came out of thin air to hit her wounded side. She dropped with a gasp, and pirates jumped to restrain her. Even wounded, a Jedi was something to be reckoned with. But she was wounded _and_ tired, and only had the strength of a regular teenager. She had no more energy to give the muscles in her arms. There was that other way…but no. It was essential to the mission she was on that she not use that way until it was unavoidable. She struggled feebly, but was eventually held fast.

Silver stared at her. "K…Kimmy?"

"Since when," she retorted, "Do you call me 'Kimmy'?"

"It _is_ you, lass!"

Silver had been secretly mourning Kim since her "death". Now that he saw her, mixed emotions were roused again. Part of him wanted to hug her and start acting like the father he had started to feel like, and another part of him wanted to shoot her and get her out of the way for good. But that part was his pirate mentality, and was overruled by his true self. He spotted the blood on her shirt, and realized with a shock that that was where he had hit her. No wonder she looked so pale. A few waves of regret flowed away from him.

Kim studied Silver uncertainly. Was it her imagination, or did his eyes look a little…teary?

"Unfortunately for you." Jim growled.

Silver flinched internally. Then, getting a hold of himself, he pulled back on the tough, mutineer façade. "Must be glad t' have her back, eh, Jimbo?" he taunted. Jim's face grew tight.

Turning his attention back to Kim, he ordered, "Bring me her weapon."

Kim was alive with determination as her lightsaber--her life--was handed over to Silver. No way was he going to keep that!

"Let's see y' do much wi'out that." Silver patted where it now hung beside his belt. He took out the map he had confiscated from Jim and, sending a smug look in his direction, tried to open it.

The key word there was _tried_. No matter where he pushed or how hard he twisted, the sphere refused to divulge its secrets. Jim smiled and shook his head as Silver struggled.

Silver saw this, and yanked Jim towards him, placing the map in his hands. "Open it!" Jim just glared at him.

Silver despised what he was about to do, but that treasure was his life's dream. Switching his hand for his pistol, he placed the open barrel end on Kim's forehead. Silver desperately hoped that Jim would open the map; not only for himself, but also for Kim. Silver knew that if Jim refused, he would have to shoot Kim in order to keep his men's loyalty.

"Ain't that somthin, now." Kim's face remained calm. Almost relived.

Captain Amelia was confused as what to do. Doctor Doppler was the same. Kim made eye contact with Jim, and something passed between them.

Kim wanted to shout for joy as Jim's mind opened slightly to her. Not bigger than a wrinkle in the Force, it was enough for Kim to send a positive wave to him.

Jim's eyes acknowledged her. Looking at Silver, he punched and spun the sphere, and a green hologram slipped out.

A floating map of Treasure Planet hovered just above Jim's head.

Silver was filled with stunned joy. "Merciful heavens, would y' look!"

The hologram dissolved, and a green beam curved out of the house, leading the way to the treasure. Silver dashed over to see. "All right, men. Tie 'em up and leave—wha?"

The green beam broke up and was sucked back into the map with a final click. Jim looked up from closing the map, determination and seriousness etched on his face. "You want the map? You're taking Kim and me, too."

Silver shook his head and chuckled lightly. Admiration for Jim was evident in his mind. The lad had him there. Jim was the only one who could open the map. They'd have to take him. Silver made his decision.

"We'll take 'em all."


	6. The Final Battle and Goodbyes

The Final Battle and Goodbyes

* * *

The map was once again activated, and the entire crew, along with their prisoners, followed the green hologram. Jim and Kim, both tied around the waist with ropes, sat up front with Silver. Doppler and Amelia were tied together and sat in the middle of the skiff.

Seeing how much they needed to be free, Jim asked Kim to promise that she would not try to escape. Kim agreed, and Silver allowed the teens to be tied up at a minimum.

The wind whipped Kim's hair back, cooling her after the brief struggle, but her mind was on other things. She was not looking forward to what she had to do. In a way, she was almost frightened, but her confidence in herself and Jim soon drove away that particular bug.

The green line led into some bamboo-like plants, and the crew was forced to continue on foot. Jim hopped out and turned around to help Kim. She was balanced carefully on the edge until a pirate shoved her off for fun. Jim leaped forward, and caught her in his arms. Kim blushed furiously, not only from the embarrassment of being caught off guard, but also from the way she was being held (bridal style) by Jim. "Um, thanks."

"No problem." He carried her a few steps away then set her down gently. As he did, he couldn't help but feel the hard muscle in her arms, the result of hard training at the Jedi Academy. As soon as she got her strength back, she would indeed be a formidable foe for Silver.

"Ok. Y' two, that bucket o' bolts over there, and the rest of the crew will follow me. You," he barked to a rather obese pirate, "will stay an' guard the prisoners."

Amelia and Doppler looked sadly at Jim and Kim. Even despite their situation, they wanted to find the treasure just as badly as Jim. Morph, the only member not tied up, slipped into Jim's pocket and whimpered slightly. Being the type of creature he was, could tell that this would not end well.

"It's okay, Morph, it's okay." Jim patted him, trying to reassure him. But right now, even he wasn't very optimistic. Ahead of them, Silver was already slashing through the plants in his eagerness to get there. Kim, being pulled forcefully along by the rope around her waist (and silently fighting the pain that was being introduced to her wound) marveled at this being's madness. Silver was completely obsessed with the treasure. She had already figured out that somehow, one way or another, he had become a cyborg trying to get here.

Silver shouted with excitement. The flashes of light on the line were growing faster and faster. "We're almost there, lads!" He yanked Jim and Kim along behind him, almost feverishly trying to get "there".

They slashed through the brush and finally stumbled out. Silver looked up with a huge grin on his face…and then it slipped off like honey. The green line that was the only hint to the treasure ended on the edge of a cliff. The line was cut off in the air right above the edge.

"What in blue blazes…?" Silver couldn't even finish the question. Behind him, the pirates were building up their anger. Things didn't get any better when the map dissolved back into the golden sphere with a _click_.

"Jimbo? What's goin' on?" Silver demanded as Jim started wrestling with the map.

"I…I don't know!" He frantically tried the combination again. "I can't get it open."

"We never shoulda trusted this boy!" A small pirate with no legs leapt up to shove Jim to the ground. Kim, being tied to him, almost fell on top of him but by sheer effort remained standing.

"Jim, look around you, and try to get the map where it belongs," Kim murmured, trying to give him a hint. "I'll buy us some time." Kim turned around to face the pirates.

Silver, too, sensed the urgency. These pirates were madder than a nest full of wet hornets, and out for blood to boot. "Jimbo, I'd get that thing workin' if I were you, an' fast!"

Kim assumed a fighting stance as the pirates closed in, muttering various threats. Suddenly, there was another faint _click_, and the patch of ground in front of Jim started glowing.

Kim looked behind her with a smile. Jim had found the small indentation where the map fit. Lights were racing across the canyon and up the wall towards them. Jim yanked Kim back and away just in time.

A laser beam rose up about fifty feet from the ground, and slowly, majestically opened to form an isosceles triangle-shaped opening in the air. The map projected one more hologram to about the height of Jim's chest. A small sphere, a model of the entire galaxy, rotated there slowly. Through the triangle, a lovely, blue nebula was visible.

"The Coral Nebula?" Silver was in awe. "But that's 'alfway 'cross the galaxy.

"It's the portal," Kim murmured. "The one Ben told us about."

Jim examined the floating map. "Hmm…lets see…Cyrapus, ah, Montressor Space Port." He lightly touched the small model of the spaceport, and the portal closed briefly. Then, it opened back up to show a familiar-looking spaceport.

"So this is how Flint did it!" Jim exclaimed. "He used this…portal…to jump from place to place stealing treasure!" Silver, however, wasn't interested in the technical aspects.

"So where'd he stash it all?"

Behind them, B.E.N. was halfway to an epiphany. "Treasure…in the centroid…"

Jim finished it for him. "In the centroid of the mechanism…hmm. What if," he looked up triumphantly, "this planet is _the mechanism_. That means the treasure is buried in the center of this planet!"

The pirates exchanged glances, then threw themselves to the ground, clawing away at the moss until one pirate tried to use his pickaxe. With a clang, the blade was crushed on solid metal.

"So how the heck do we get there?" Silver shoved Jim out of the way and started randomly jabbing at planets. Jim smiled and moved back up.

"Just…open the right door." He touched Treasure Planet. The portal opened to reveal an enormous cavern.

Jim cautiously pushed one hand through the door, and, taking Kim's hand, led her through. It was almost like going through one of the Gungan entrances on Naboo.

Silver's hand reached through to clamp down on Kim's shoulder. He pulled himself through, and stalked forward. He failed to notice the small, red beam that he stepped into. The rest of the crew followed him, and they all stood, enemies briefly united, in awe.

"The loot of a Thousand Worlds," Silver whispered in awe. The entire center of the planet was covered with gold coins, jewels, and other treasures. Silver and the crew launched themselves into the treasure. They made a mistake in leaving Jim and Kim unattended.

Kim tugged Jim's sleeve. "Look!" An old boat rested to the right of them, with gold coins littered on the deck.

"C'mon," Jim whispered to Kim and B.E.N. "We're getting out of here, and we're not leaving empty-handed."

The three friends climbed on board the ship. Kim was helping B.E.N. up when she noticed something, almost dropping the droid in her shock. "Captain Flint?"

B.E.N. and Jim clambered up, Jim a bit more gracefully than his friend. "In the flesh!" B.E.N. gasped from the floor. "Well, except for skin or muscle or anything resembling flesh."

A skeleton wearing nothing more than a hat and old rags sat atop a chair in the center of the deck. Kim shivered. Even dead, she could feel remnants of the evil Force that had surrounded Flint in life.

Jim was walking over to the skeleton as B.E.N. once again started lamenting his bad memory, trying to remember something that had to do with Flint.

Kim untied the rope on her waist as she watched Jim pry something out of Flint's closed fist. Bones scattered, but whatever it was, Jim now had it. He looked at it closely, and B.E.N. wailed on. "Oh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose!"

"Ben," Jim said excitedly, "I think I've found your mind! Hold still!" He held the droid by the head and let the loose wires in B.E.N.'s head touch the chip he'd found.

"Jimmy, your hands are very cold---HELLO!" The chip zipped into B.E.N.'s head. "Whoa!" His eyes flashed, and the readout screen turned from green to blue. "You know, Jimmy, I was just thinking…I…was just…THINKING! Oh, my memory's back! I remember now! Captain Flint ripped it out so I couldn't tell anyone about his big booby trap!"

A ceiling rod chose that moment to crack loose and set off a chain reaction. "Speaking of which…"

Jim and Kim threw themselves backwards to avoid a falling piece of metal. "Captain Flint didn't want anyone to ever steal his treasure, so he rigged this place to blow higher than a Neludian rocket!"

Morph woke up in Jim's pocket when Jim landed and flew out to join the three. Jim, on the other hand, was racking his mind for a means of escape. His eyes landed on the control panel of the old ship. "Ben! Go back and free the others! If I'm not there in five minutes," he slid under the panel, "leave without me."

B.E.N. started tugging Jim's boots, which were all that was visible from under the panel. "I'm not leaving my bestest buddy Jim," he caught sight of Jim's death glare, "unless, of course, he looks at me like that. Bye, guys!" The droid took off for the exit.

"Kim, you'd better…" He caught sight of her repairing the steering wheel. Would this girl ever cease to amaze him? He knew there was no talking her out of it, so they both continued their work.

Finally, it was ready. Jim took the wheel, with Kim regulating the power control. "Kim, Morph, we are so out of here!"

A thud on the deck changed his mind. Both kids spun around.

"Well, Jimbo," Silver swaggered up, "if you ain't the seventh wonder of the universe."

Jim looked around for a weapon, knowing Kim's only one was on Silver's belt. He seized a sword sticking up and pointed it at Silver's open, exposed belly.

"**Stay…back.**"

Silver looked down at the sword, and Kim chose that moment to use the Force to call her lightsaber back to her. Silver noticed. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with pain and anger. "I like y' lad. Y' too, lass. But I ain't about to let you stand in the way of my treasure."

He started forward again, cold, evil purpose in his eyes. Jim was scared. Kim was ready to fight. If she had to hurt Silver to get them all out alive, then she would.

But it wasn't necessary. The ship had been launched, and as a ray of almost pure energy hit it, the three passengers were flung off. Silver landed on a ledge, but Jim and Kim hurled down into the abyss.

Jim managed to latch onto a small, protruding ledge, and somehow caught Kim. "I…I can't hold on! Grab my legs!" Kim did so, but now both of their lives hung in Jim's hands. And, perhaps, someone else's.

Morph zipped over to where Silver was hanging onto the ship to keep the treasure from being vaporized. He frantically squeaked in Silver's ear. "What?" Silver grunted. Morph pointed. Silver looked, and felt a clamp identical to the one on his arm squeeze his heart. "Jimbo! Kim!"

He switched his hand out for his clamp to keep the treasure safe. Then, he leaned down. "Reach fer me!" Jim did his best, he really did, but it was just too far away.

"I…I can't!" He lost his grip on the first ledge and dropped down to a second one. Kim now dangled by one hand as well. And this particular ledge was sliding back into the wall.

It was time for Silver to choose, just as Anakin and Kim, although she didn't know it, would have to eventually do. He could keep the treasure he had been searching his whole life for, or he could keep the kids that he'd come to think of as his own. Silver made his decision.

"Oh, blast me fer a…!" He let go of the ship, swung down, and grabbed Jim's hand just as he lost his grip. But another tremble shook the ground, and now Silver was the one who lost his grip as the rock he was holding onto broke. With a scream, the three tumbled into the abyss.

Kim closed her eyes as they fell, both Silver and Jim screaming on either side of her. She knew what she had to do, and she reached for the light that lived inside her.

A blue light erupted, and a glowing figure shot back up with two other figures in tow. Silver and Jim were set gently down on the ledge, and stared at the thing of light incarnate that lightly touched down in front of them. The figure solidified, and the glow faded a bit.

Kim stood there, radiant. The light seemed to come from inside her. An unseen breeze lifted her hair and robe, and she excluded an aura of peace and quiet courage.

"K…Kim?" Jim could hardly speak. One minute he was plunging to his death and the next he was looking at the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. It was a bit of an emotional overload. Kim turned and, grasping Silver and Jim each by the hand, started towards the exit.

"It's all right, Jim." Her voice was calm and soothing. "I am one of the Jedi Powers, where the Force chooses to grant me a special gift. Each Power has a certain element. I am the Jedi of Light."

The three continued running towards the exit during this speech. Well, two of them ran. Kim floated over the ground. "Jim, Silver, you must leave quickly! It has become too dangerous for all of us."

"How?" Jim didn't understand. What was different now? What danger could there be?

"When I revealed my powers, I gave away my position. It is dangerous for me now, and even more so for you two, should you get in the way."

A smaller, whitish portal opened near them. A figure in black launched out of it, hurtling itself at Kim. It held a blood-red lightsaber. Kim dodged it, and explained hurriedly, "I have to fight him now. Run! I can try to hold the planet together and give you more time." The black-robed figure started back for a second try. "Jim, GO!" Blue light shoved them out. And then, Kim had no more time.

The red lightsaber came down hard, Kim barely managing to block it. She fought, half her mind on the life-or-death battle, and the other half casting out her power, holding the centroid steady. This was a larger use of power than she had ever used before. The result? She grew tired, and could not spare any more power to help her fight. All she did, she would do with her own energy.

The Sith had really outdone themselves on this one. It was a boy, a human boy. A very _well trained_ human boy, Kim thought as she blocked his attack. Not Anakin, but some other youth. His eyes were already the trademark red of the Sith. There was no turning back for him now. She hated to do so, but she would have to kill him.

The boy didn't speak a word, only fought. He used the Force to throw obstacles at her. She deflected them. He tried flipping and slicing. She blocked that, too. She was, after all, the only student who could hold her own against Yoda in a battle. The wise old master had been quite surprised during that practice.

The battle continued, light against dark, red against blue, good against evil. Kim spun, ducked, even flipped up in the air and bounced back off of a coin that had been falling down. Each time she moved, the wound in her side was lit on fire with pain, but Kim clenched her teeth and ignored it. She would not cry. To cry while in this battle would mean death.

They were nearing the edge of the abyss. The distinct buzz and crackle of lightsabers meeting filled the air as the two skilled warriors fought desperately. Then came Kim's one mistake. She slipped on a stray coin and went down. The boy raised his lightsaber to bring it down hard. Kim rolled to the side, saving her head but feeling the lightsaber slice through her left shoulder. It was, however, the opening she needed.

Twisting into a position that made her back scream, she brought her leg back for a powerful kick. The boy didn't have the experience to deal with it. He could have jumped, but her speed in her wounded state surprised him. Without a word, he tumbled into the abyss, his body disappearing as he fell.

Kim struggled painfully to her feet, and, losing her hold on the planet, zoomed out of the portal with a trail of blue light. She could only hold back nature for so long. She zoomed over the surface, looking for Jim, and saw them headed right back towards the portal. She took up a place at the rear and flew behind them, no more than a light blue streak of light.

Jim reached down from his solar surfer to touch the spaceport in the map.

The cool, calm, restful night by the spaceport was shattered when a triangle appeared in the sky. A boy, ship, and light flew out of it and ran from the raging inferno half a galaxy away.

Jim whooped and swept down to give Silver a high five. Then, he saw Kim. Her light had faded, and her tired, injured form was visible. But she was smiling proudly.

Silver saw Kim too, and, in spite of himself, Silver's eyes welled up with tears. If Kim had died in there, Silver would never have forgiven himself for getting these kids involved. Silver also, for the first time, acknowledged that he loved these two kids as he would have loved any of his own.

Jim made a beeline for her, swept her up in his arms, and landed on the deck.

Setting her down, he noticed her arm. "You're hurt!"

She shook her head. "Not badly." _That's rich_, Jim thought, _when your muscle's been sliced clean through._

Silver rushed over to give her a hug. "I'm sorry, lass." He mumbled over her shoulder. "I'm sorry for everything." Kim winced as her wounds were pressed upon, but she ignored it, caught up in the moment.

"It's okay, Silver." Kim smiled happily. "Everything worked out just fine."

Doppler and Amelia were on their way down from the bridge when a shining white circle of light appeared on the railing. It looked like a small star had decided to come and perch on the railing.

"What is that?" Doctor Doppler gasped.

Kim turned towards it, hiding her face. "It's my ride home."

Jim felt his heart tighten. Amelia asked, on a more businesslike note, "Did you accomplish your mission?"

Kim nodded, and pulled a slightly charred globe out of her pocket. "The map? That was your mission?" Silver was incredulous.

Kim smiled. When she had gone through the portal after Jim, she had almost skidded across and then grabbed the map from where it lay. The portal had closed immediately, letting whatever debris from Treasure Planet stay in its corner of the galaxy.

"Yes. Now, we know what lies in this particular dimension. My mission was also a scientific expedition. I was the only one who could not influence this story and still get the map. And stay alive in the process."

"You risked your life for that?" Jim couldn't believe it.

Kim smiled again. "Yep. But I also needed to get some field experience. I got it on this trip."

Her smile faded. "And now, I have to say goodbye."

She walked over to Amelia and Doppler and gave them both a big hug. "Thank you for letting me tag along."

Amelia gave her a watery smile. In spite of herself, she had grown fond of this independent young woman. "Oh, tosh. You more than earned the right."

"You did indeed," Doppler agreed solemnly, shaking her hand.

She moved on to Silver, giving him one last, careful hug. "You're a right good lass," he said when they separated. "Don't let anyone ever tell y' otherwise."

She moved to face Jim. They held eye contact for a moment, and then suddenly, Kim spun away, shoulders convulsing.

A tear ran down her cheek and splashed onto the deck.

Jim was dumbstruck. After all the injuries she had suffered, and after all the emotional pain, she was crying because she had to say goodbye…to him.

He moved up next to her, turned her around, and held her.

Kim couldn't remember ever feeling so happy and sad at the same time. She had bottled up her pain for so long, and this one gesture cracked the dam.

She actually sobbed once, and then just held onto Jim, tears streaming now, but not making any other sound. She ignored the pain from her injuries. Her tears now came from the internal pain of knowing that she might never see her friend again. Jim tightened his hold, fighting tears of his own.

They stood that way for a little longer, releasing and gaining emotional pain at the same time, but then a slender tendril of white light slipped around Kim's waist. It was time for her to go home.

She released Jim, but he kept a hold on her hands.

"Kim…I love you."

"I know. But I can't say 'I love you', too. Jedi aren't supposed to fall in love. We live in two different worlds, with different dreams. But…Jim," she said, leaning close, "here's something to remember me by."

She gently, carefully kissed him, and then floated towards the portal, one last tear running down her cheek. "Goodbye, my friends."

She stepped backward. The white light flared once, and she was gone. The only reminder of her was the slight warmth that remained on Jim's lips. That, and a memory that could not be erased.


	7. The Return

The Return

* * *

Kim stood before the Jedi Council, feeling the heavy weight of their gazes. She was embarrassed, but kept eye contact even while blushing.

"Well, this certainly is a problem." Mace Windu frowned. "Trouble _always_ follows a love-struck Jedi."

Kim didn't answer. Being from a place where this was all a story, she knew what was going to happen to Anakin. Many times, having that knowledge and being unable to use it to prevent the bad things from happening had reduced her almost to tears. Almost, but not quite. She waited to cry until no one could hear her.

Obi-Wan's quiet voice came from by her side. "That is true, but she is not, technically, a regular Jedi. She also says that she felt a connection to this boy through the Force. I have heard of such things occurring. If she says that's what happened, then that's what happened." Kim glanced up at him. His eyes were kind. "I trust her completely."

Kim blushed even harder. Coming from Obi-Wan, that was an extremely high compliment. She looked over at Anakin. He smiled sympathetically at her. Being in love with someone himself, he knew what it felt like.

Yoda rubbed his chin, then motioned for her to come over to him. She did so, and knelt so that she could meet him eye-to-eye. "Say you this boy is Force-sensitive, yes?"

"Yes, Master Yoda."

Yoda looked carefully at her, his eyes sweeping over her face. Then, a kind look, not unlike Obi-Wan's, filled them. "Not long ago I met you, and already trust you, I do." Seeing as how Yoda was approaching nine hundred standard years old, the six years he had known Kim was a trifle. "You are not like an ordinary Jedi. Feel true hate or fear, you cannot. Apply to you, different rules do. If you believe that you will not lose track of your duties, and an asset the boy will be, come here the boy may."

Kim was dumbstruck. Jim…could stay? Could come live here?

"Will he be trained, sir?" Kim asked.

"Know that, I do not. See we will, when arrive he does."

Kim bowed her head slightly, and then stood up. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

Yoda in turn inclined his head to her. Mace sighed. "Well, if Master Yoda trusts you, I think that is pretty clear. And he is right about the different rules." Was he hiding a smile? "We've never had someone of your…_abilities_ before."

Kim, Obi-Wan, and Anakin bowed, and then departed. Outside the council chamber, Anakin turned to face her. "Is it really possible for you to love someone and still do your duties? What if he gets into trouble and you're on an assignment?"

"I'll finish my assignment, and then go help him. He'll understand. I can't let my feelings stop me from doing the right thing."

Obi-Wan led the way to the lab that resided in the Academy. "Let's go fetch him, shall we?"

It had been about six months since Jim had returned with Doctor Doppler and Amelia. Silver had gone on his way quietly, with slightly lighter pockets and Jim's forgiveness.

The Benbow Inn had been restored to its former glory…and then some. A glorious garden now adorned the front lawn. There were more rooms in more fashionable designs. The few coins Silver had given Jim more than paid for everything they needed.

Jim was going to make a decision now. Having finished the school year with flying colors (and quite a few apologies), he now had to decide which Academy to go to. Amelia had personally recommended him to the top Navy Academy.

It was the opening night of the new Benbow Inn. Mrs. Hawkins was throwing a party for all the friends and neighbors. B.E.N. served cake to the guests, and one neighbor played songs on a peculiar-looking instrument.

Jim stood off to the side in a new uniform and a new haircut. When he started to show his intelligence in school, many girls had decided that smarts and cuteness were two major factors. He'd had more "girlfriend offers" than perps on the ship. He had also done something totally unexpected: turned them all down.

He had not forgotten Kim. Nor did he intend to do so. Even with his undeveloped Force abilities, he could tell that they'd had a connection somehow. He was currently working on a portal of his own for that exact reason. Jim was willing to go live in her world. He had told his mother all about her, and she recognized the look in his eyes as he talked about Kim. It was the same one Doppler got when he looked at Amelia. Pure, simple love.

Now, the music played, and girls snuck glances at him, but he ignored it all, looking out the window, lost in his thoughts for the moment.

A knock on the door attracted Mrs. Hawkins's attention. She walked over and opened the door. Two figures in robes stood there. One was a very pretty young teenager, and the other was a handsome, older man with a ginger-colored beard and kind eyes.

"May I help you?" Mrs. Hawkins asked politely.

The man nodded. "Yes. We are here to speak to you about your son, Jim."

"Please, come inside." Mrs. Hawkins invited them in.

"Thank you, ma'am." The girl's voice was warm and friendly.

The two walked in. The man took off his hood first, and then the girl.

Jim looked at his mother leading the two strangers in. The man took off his hood. He had golden-brown hair and kind blue eyes. Then his companion took off her hood, and looked right at him.

He felt a wave of joy and disbelief sweep through him as he looked into the sparkling green eyes he thought he'd never see again. Then all thought stopped, and pure emotions took over.

Jim literally ran across the room to sweep Kim up in his arms and twirl her around. Kim laughed with delight and hugged him. Jim gently set her down and just held her for a moment, Kim returning his embrace.

When he released her slightly, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I…I can't believe you're here…" Jim could barely speak. He was glad, however, that she was.

Kim's face took on a serious expression. "Jim, is there somewhere we can go to talk? Something quite serious has come up."

"Sure. But first, let me introduce you to my mother." He led Kim over to the table where Mrs. Hawkins and Obi-Wan sat, deep in some discussion. "Mom?" Mrs. Hawkins looked first at him, and then her gaze fell to the girl next to him. "This is Kim. The one I told you about."

The edges of her eyes crinkled in a silent smile. Smiling a real one, she stood up and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet the girl my son speaks so _highly_ of."

Kim returned her handshake, blushing slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Mom, Kim and I are going outside to talk. Okay?"

Mrs. Hawkins looked from Obi-Wan to Kim, and saw that Jim was going to be told the same thing she was. "Okay. Be careful!" she called after them.

As Jim and Kim walked out, a group of girls in the corner sent Kim jealous glances.

Kim and Jim climbed up onto the roof, Jim being careful to sit where his suit wouldn't get too dirty; his mother was a stickler for such things.

When they were both seated, Kim looked up at the sky. "I never thought I'd see these stars again."

Jim couldn't help but notice how her eyes caught the starlight and held them. Kim smiled and turned to Jim. "I never thought I'd see you again, either." Her face fell slightly. "Um, about what happened on the boat…I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

"Kim…" He gently touched her cheek. "I told you I loved you. And I still do."

"You really mean that?" Her eyes were hopeful.

"Absolutely."

Kim's eyes were relieved. "Jim, the reason I came back here was because this may work out after all. I talked to the Jedi Council with Master Obi-Wan—that's the man in there—and, well, if you want to come live in my world, you can."

Jim's face was expressionless.

Kim continued doggedly on. "Your mother, Ben, Morph, they could all come, too. And, there is a chance you could become a Jedi. Not a Jedi Power like me, you have to be born one of those, but a regular Jedi Knight."

"Well?" She looked at him, and saw joy in his face. That gave her the strength to carry on further. "And there's one more thing. One more thing I wasn't sure I could say. For a Jedi, these words are practically forbidden. Now, I know that I can."

"Jim, I love you."

Jim sat quietly for a moment, etching this minute into his heart forever.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that." Then, leaning slowly over, he placed his lips on her own. Jim hesitated for one more moment, and then gently put his hand behind her head, deepening the kiss.

Kim, for the first time, had no thoughts. Only feelings. And she mentally saw feelings for the first time as well. She and Jim were two lights of pure, simple, radiating-the-Force love. The many lights below them were fun, slight jealously (from Jim's earlier applicants), and understanding from Mrs. Hawkins and Obi-Wan.

And, for the first time since leaving Earth, she felt truly home. For home is, of course, not where you are, but who you're with. Obi-Wan and Anakin were her friends, brothers, and, at times, father figures. She had an entire family at the Jedi Academy. But Jim…he was something entirely new.

Jim finally broke the kiss, blushing furiously. Kim blushed too. Jim took her hand. "As to your question, I was actually planning to try and reach your universe on my own."

"I'm glad you're okay with the idea. But, Jim…" Her eyes went serious again. "Being a Jedi is dangerous work. And there is no room for mistakes. If I'm in trouble, you have to go on with whatever your assignment may be. It's okay to be in love, but you have to remember your duties as well. I made that agreement, and that is why you are allowed to come."

Jim looked at her for a moment. If she was in trouble, would he really leave her and continue with whatever mission he had? He too had a sense of duty. But would duty override love? In this case, it had to. If he faltered in order to save his love, others would probably lose loves of their own.

"Being a Jedi, Jim, means doing the right thing and not the selfish thing." Kim had to get him to understand this. Otherwise, it really wouldn't work.

"You have my word that I will not shirk my duties, whatever they may be." Jim's voice was serious, and his eyes confirmed his words.

"One last thing." Kim's voice was slightly teasing. "I'm a Jedi Power. I'm _not_ going to have a man stand in front of me whenever a danger presents itself. We work as a team. You help me at certain times, and I may have to help you at certain times, but no one has a definite role as protector. Agreed?"

Jim responded with a quick kiss. Once they had their blushes under control, they climbed down again. Obi-Wan and Mrs. Hawkins were waiting for them outside. Obi-Wan smiled with a knowing look, and Kim barely suppressed a blush. There were downsides to having a Jedi mentor. _But,_ she thought with a grin, _the good definitely beats the bad. _

"Mom?" Jim knew that if his mom stayed, he would too. At least for a little while.

Mrs. Hawkins smiled, seeing the looks on their faces. "I've handed control of the Inn to Doppler, Amelia, and Ben for the summer. I'll come back when business picks up again, but you," she smiled at Jim, "will stay at the Jedi Academy."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "If you could come with us, we're going to introduce you to the Council, and then you can come back and pack."

Jim nodded, and gave his mother a quick hug. "I'll be back to help you pack. I promise."

She nodded.

The glowing white portal opened up one more time. Obi-Wan stepped into it first.

Jim looked at Kim and smiled, never more sure of a decision in his life. Kim smiled back at him and took his hand. Then, together, they entered a world of adventure.


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

Jim was accepted by the Council as Mace Windu's "padawan", and learned with amazing speed. Normally, any children older than three were rebuked, but the Council could see that Jim was honorable and trustworthy. So, grudgingly, they granted him permission.

Everyone had been surprised by Mace's choice, butthe Jedi Masterstood firm. A midi-chlorian count revealed that Jim was extremely strong in the Force, which was what perhaps prompted Mace to take Jim under his wing.

In the following days, Kim showed him the many wonders that she herself had learned, and the two were usually found talking and laughing with the other trainees, soaking up information about their new home.

True to her word, Mrs. Hawkins came for half the year and went back for the other half. The portal was kept under lock, key, and laser, so any trips would be permanent for a while. But Jim didn't use it nearly as much.

Many afternoons, Kim and Jim could be found sparring together. Their first assignment together came extremely quickly, and many more assignments lined up after that.

But those are different stories altogether. What Kim's real name is, her first adventure, and all her adventures to come are different tales.

They are a part of the Jedi of Light chronicles.

**The End **


End file.
